


I Choose You

by Zoraidaz



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Agender Character, Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Healthy Relationships, Moral Ambiguity, Multi, No Canon Characters (Human anyway), Original Character(s), Original Pokemon Trainer - Freeform, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Pokeball(s), Pokemon - Freeform, Pokemon Fanfiction, Pokemon Journey, Pokemon adoption, Runaway, Slow Burn, supportive friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-05-27
Packaged: 2018-09-26 05:10:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 34,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9864311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zoraidaz/pseuds/Zoraidaz
Summary: Harley Smith is a shy young Pokémon Trainer, just starting out on their journey at the age of fourteen. They still have a lot to learn about the world - like how to survive - but luckily for them, there are plenty of friends to be made along the way.(Any trigger warnings for the chapter will be shown in the notes at the end)





	1. New Beginings

_You won’t get away with this._  
_She’ll find you. She’ll **stop** you._  
_You can’t get away from her this easily._

Harley shut their eyes tight as they rested their head against the window of the train, the cool glass sending a shiver down their spine. Black countryside whizzed past but they saw nothing; the light from the carriage didn’t reach more than a few metres out and there was no moon to light the rolling hills and forests of Sinnoh on this particular night. 

For a few difficult minutes, Harley focused on nothing more than steadying their breathing, pushing out the awful, unwanted thoughts and trying to relax. At this time of night they were completely alone inside the train, or at least, this part of it. All of their belongings were packed within the tatty rucksack that fit snugly between their feet. They had never felt smaller. 

Still, despite the comforting glow of their phone telling them it was now two o’clock in the morning, they could not sleep; despite the all-encompassing darkness that obscured the landscape, they stared blankly out the window, searching for something, anything, that could be interesting, and despite the rational, logical knowledge that the only people for miles around didn’t care enough about them to hurt them, they could still not stop flinching whenever the attendant walked past. 

Harley turned their phone over in their hands repeatedly as their knee bounced beneath the small, fold-away table. The train swayed from side to side once in a while, reminding them that they were, in fact, still moving; the only indication from beyond the glass panes were the occasional glimpses of city lights in the distance. They had absolutely no idea what cities they could be or where exactly they even were - but it wasn’t like it mattered, as long as they were _away._

*

They didn’t remember falling asleep, but all of a sudden the clock on their phone read 6am, 7am - and at 8 the sun was beginning to peak over the distant mountains, finally showing them just what was out there.

Everywhere they looked, there was _life._ Clusters of trees on the crest of heather-covered hills; deep, dense pine forests with spatterings of ferns and brambles among their roots; dainty creeks and awe-inspiring rivers, weaving in and out of ancient oaks and birches - and most importantly, everywhere they looked, there were dozens and dozens of Pokémon themselves. Every so often, they would see a family of Pachirisu racing around the branches of the forests, or groups of Stantler and Sawsbuck regally meandering between the undergrowth. Wherever they looked, there was beauty and energy, something they had been missing for far too long. 

They were so caught up in the scenery that sound of the announcer over the intercom scared them half to death. 

_“We are now approaching Canalave City. Please take all your belongings with you. Please mind the gap.This train is calling at Canalave City, Twinleaf Town, Sandgem Town, and Jubilife City. Please change here for Iron Island, Full Moon Island and New Moon Island.”_

Harley sat up straighter, their hands automatically reaching out to pat their bags, checking they were still there - which of course, they were. Nothing could stamp down the bubble of excitement that was growing within their chest. This was it, they were finally chasing their dream - in a couple of stops was Sandgem Town, where they were due to pick up their first ever Pokémon. Harley already knew which one they wanted, although it had taken literal years of deliberation. It hadn’t been indecision that kept them from starting their journey, however. 

Filled with new lease of determination, Harley sat back in their chair again and looked out the window, excitedly making a note of every single Pokémon they could find. Most were to be expected; Starly, Bidoof and Kricketot ran rampant everywhere they looked - but to their delight, as the train broke out of the forest and into the grassy planes, they found themselves racing an entire herd of wild Ponyta and Rapidash among the tall grass. They all kept a safe distance from the railway tracks, but Harley still felt like they could reach out and touch them with ease. Their fiery manes blazed bright in the sunlight, streaming behind them in a ferocious glory. They had never seen anything more beautiful. 

Despite their unrivalled speed as Pokémon, they soon fell behind the train and off into the distance. In between a break in the hills, a deep, sparkling blue ocean came into view, signalling that Canalave City was only a few more minutes away. Although they could only catch glimpses of it, it filled them with a pure, childish delight, pulling them to the edge of their seat as they tried to see it again and again. 

The train slowed to a shaky stop, and an uncomfortably large crowd shoved their way on board. The tranquillity that Harley had been enjoying such much was ripped from them as strangers threw their bags down and elbowed each other out the way. They curled their arms around their bag as someone sat down next to them, a leather briefcase at their feet and an irritable expression on their face. Harley hoped they weren’t going to try to make any kind of conversation. 

The train started off again with a lurch. Several people knocked into one another, but everybody stared at their feet or their phones.

* 

_“We are now approaching Sandgem Town. Please take all your belongings with you. Please mind the gap. This train terminates at Jubilife City.”_

Harley tensed in anticipation, craning their neck to try to see the station in the distance. Unsurprisingly, the train was still filled with an uncomfortable number of people, with most people wanting to alight at Jubilife City rather than the smaller villages and towns in this part of the region. No matter how excited they were to finally get to the Professor’s laboratory, there was no way they were going to willingly push in front of anyone if they could help it. 

Once again, the train screeched to a halt. The moment Harley was free of the train doors, they slung their backpack over their shoulders and all but jogged through the gates and out into the town centre. Despite being where all budding young trainers were supposed to start, the high street was surprisingly small and uncrowded with only a couple of recognisable shops nearby. As the other passengers dispersed and disappeared, Harley was left standing in front of the station, looking around in awe. 

First things first, they needed to work out how to get to the laboratory. It was one thing knowing it was in this town, and another knowing where within the town it precisely was. They had no idea. Too shy to ask somebody for directions and too nervous to simply wander around aimlessly, Harley headed towards where they hoped would be a signpost. Seeing as there were none actually around the station itself, they assumed that somewhere along the high street - maybe on a corner somewhere - would be a safe bet. After walking a few hundred metres with no luck - and no obvious laboratory in sight either - they went back the other way along the street, their hands getting clammy and their pulse getting faster. How could they come this far, only to be stumped by a simple lack of a map? 

They took a moment to steady their breathing. The lab _had_ to be around here somewhere. Sandgem was famous for it, and the town itself was so small there could only be a handful of people living here anyway. All they had to do was ask someone, something like that should be so simple, right? So why was it so difficult for them to gather up the courage? 

Disheartened, Harley continued to wander around in circles, never straying too far from the station. They hoped nobody noticed their strange behaviour, but knowing their luck, there were almost certainly some strangers watching and laughing behind their back. Maybe they should have waited a few more years before leaving, maybe they were too young to be doing this, maybe after all she was right - 

No. 

No no _no._

Harley fought to remind themselves that this was what they were supposed to be doing. Becoming a trainer was all about having an adventure, right? Overcoming obstacles, both physical and mental - and this must be their first. And they were determined not to give up. At any rate, there was no way they could go home now, not after leaving in the middle of the night like that. 

Harley took a deep breath, drawing in the sounds and smells of the ocean. They knew the town was on the beach front, so finding the sea should orientate them - and there would almost certainly be people there in cafes and tourist shops they could ask. That’s all they had to do - find the sea. Once they had done that they could think of exactly what to do next. Baby steps. That’s all it took. 

_You’re worrying over nothing. It’s so dumb that you’re stressed out by this. You’re an idiot. A **child.** You should go home. Apologise. She won’t hate you if you beg. _

At this point in their life, the intrusive thoughts were more irritating than scary. Harley shoved them aside and began walking down the highstreet again, this time sticking to their path as it led downhill, which logically would lead to the sea. 

It wasn’t long before the vast, cool blue ocean was within sight again. Sandgem Town had a beautiful seaside pier, harbour and sandy beach which during the summer months, Harley suspected would be crammed with people - but even though the sun was still shining bright and warm overhead, the place was more or less empty. As they walked towards the beach, however, they noticed an oddly large group of people and Pokémon gathered on the decking by the cafe. At first they assumed it was some kind of party or event that people had simply brought their Pokémon along to, but as they drew closer it was clear the Pokémon outnumbered humans at least five to one. It wasn’t particularly chaotic, either - all the Pokémon were neatly groomed and sitting calmly on different temporary tables, chairs and even in baskets. 

“Hi there! Are you here to look at the Pokémon?” A bubbly young woman walked straight over to Harley, clipboard in hand and glasses on the end of her nose. “We have all sorts here today for you to meet, whether you’re looking for a companion or a worker!” 

“I-I- I’m actually just looking- I was wondering if you could tell me where, ah, the lab is? Professor Rowan’s?” they stammered, hands getting clammy as they fiddled with the straps on their rucksack. The woman’s cheerful demeanour did not falter, but her plastic smile cracked a little. 

“The lab? Are you going there for your first Pokémon?” 

Harley fidgeted. “Well, yeah. I’m going to get a Piplup.” 

“Have you thought about adopting a Pokémon instead?” she replied, gesturing to the rows of tables in front of them. “We’re running an adoption fair right now. All these Pokémon are in need of a new home, having been either abused or abandoned by their previous trainers and cannot be released into the wild.” 

Harley was silent for a few moments, before stepping towards them all. “I- I never realised you could do this,” they said softly, curiosity washing over them in waves. “Can I take a look at them?”  
And all of a sudden, the woman’s smile was back in full force. “Well sure thing, honey! Take all the time you need. If you find anyone you fall in love with, just let anybody in a blue shirt know, and they’ll tell you the next steps.” 

Harley nodded in understanding, and before they could say another word the lady had moved on to another passerby, excitedly telling them all over again just what the fair was there to do. 

Still clutching onto the straps of their rucksack, Harley began to walk up and down the isles of Pokémon, stopping to read almost every one of their information sheets. If they were honest with themselves, they were falling in love with every single creature there. How were they supposed to choose just one to be their starter? Every so often, one in particular would catch their eye, but they just wanted to give every single one there a loving home. 

A good majority of these abandoned Pokémon weren’t even native to the Sinnoh region. Harley had passed at least five or six individual Skitty, multiple Herdier and even a couple of Nidoran. The kind of Pokémon that were surprisingly common among the others, however, were the evolutions of all the different starter Pokémon - some were even fully evolved. 

“It’s such a shame, isn’t it?” somebody said suddenly from behind them. Harley hummed in agreement, reaching out hesitantly to touch the fur of a Fennekin that was asleep on a cushion in front of them. It made a soft, surprised noise when it felt their fingers brush against their back, but immediately leaned into their touch, almost purring with delight. 

“It says here that this one was bought as a pet for a young girl, but was handed over to the Rescue when it started setting fire to things accidentally,” the person said, reading straight off the card. “Well, it’s a fire type. Surely they should have thought of that.” 

“Yeah,” Harley replied absently, continuing to pet the Pokémon. The person took off to look at others, leaving Harley alone with the Fennekin, who was now wide awake. It looked at her with innocent curiosity, its head tilted slightly to the side as it studied her. Harley’s heart melted. 

“I’ll be back for you,” they promised, giving it a scratch under the chin. “I’m just going to go see all the others too, alright?” 

The Fennekin let out a small noise of agreement, its tail wagging slightly. Harley gave it one last pat before moving onto the next one, already feeling bad for leaving its side, but the Pokémon itself seemed contented enough. 

The next Pokémon that caught their eye was again, small and fluffy. Its brown fur was short along its face and body, but its chest and tail puffed right out in a splash of cream. Harley instantly knew which Pokémon this one was; Eevee were one of the most popular Pokémon out there. Almost everybody they knew knew somebody who had one. Their adaptability and cute face made them incredibly likeable, and their rarity made them coveted. Well, they used to be rare. Not so much anymore. 

This Eevee seemed a little different than the standard, though. Its body was thin and lithe, to the point where in places, its ribs were visible through its coat; the famous fluff around its neck and chest was clean but sparse. It stood proudly atop the table as many people cooed over it, but began to tremble whenever a hand or face got too close. 

Harley carefully made their way through the crowd, wanting to get a better look. They realised that this entire section of the fair was dedicated to Eevee, all in varying degrees of size, shape, and apparently health too. Still, this particular Pokémon was as happy as ever, provided the people kept their distance. Now Harley was at the front of the crowd, they could easily have reached out to pet it, but unlike with the Fennekin, they didn’t dare. 

Beside the Eevee was one of the staff members (or volunteers, Harley wasn’t sure) who was talking to the small crowd about the fair and the Pokémon within. They explained that whilst the vast majority of Pokémon were handed over - as opposed to being rescued - there were still quite a few cruelty cases they dealt with every day, and popular, rare Pokémon like the starters, Eevee and Ditto were frequently involved in them, hence the vast amount of them up for adoption here that day. 

Right then, Harley decided once and for all that they were going to adopt their first Pokémon. Screw the lab; it was more important to give an old Pokémon a good home than to get a ‘brand new’ Pokémon. Once the majority of people had moved on, Harley tentatively walked up to the man who had just been giving the talk. 

“Hi, sorry, but I was just wondering if I could adopt one of the Pokémon here,” they said, smiling a little sheepishly. Even though the man was literally just here to help, they still felt like they were bothering him somehow. If he _was_ bothered, he didn’t show it. 

“Of course you can! Which one has caught you eye?” he asked brightly, picking up a clipboard and pen from the table behind him. 

“Um, this one, actually.” They nodded to the Eevee, stepping a little closer to it. The Eevee turned to look at them curiously, its tail swishing calmly. It clearly wasn’t afraid of Harley, but then again they weren’t exactly very close to it yet. 

The man’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Eevee? Really? That’s great!” he said, and Harley just knew there was a ‘but’ coming. “But are you sure? This Eevee is new to our program; she hasn’t had a lick of training and it still very anxious. We were hoping to give her to a trainer with a lot of experience.” 

Harley’s heart sunk. “Oh.”

“I’m truly sorry,” the man said, his smile twisting into a sympathetic grimace. “We have these rules in place to help the Pokémon actually stay with their new owners. It hurts them if they keep getting abandoned, as I’m sure you know.” 

“I understand,” Harley sighed, shrugging a little. “I’m glad you all care so much about them. It’s good.” 

“Thank you for your interest, though, seriously,” he continued, coming to stand next to the Eevee. “I’m sure it means a lot to you that so many people are wanting to take you home!” He spoke directly to her, reaching out to let her sniff his hand - but she wasn’t having any of it. She puffed out her tail and arched her back ever so slightly, nipping at his hand before jumping off the table and planting herself by Harley’s feet. 

Harley took a step back in surprise, looking down at her in bewilderment. The Eevee looked up at her and barked, as if to say _Aren’t you guys going to ask me who **I** want to go with? _

Both Harley and the volunteer were silent for a few moments, simply staring at the small creature who apparently seemed to have such an attitude, before the man broke out laughing. “I guess that was us told, huh?” 

“What do you mean?” Harley couldn’t tear their eyes away from the Eevee, who had apparently entered into a staring contest with them. 

“Well, sometimes the trainer chooses a Pokémon, and sometimes the Pokémon chooses the trainer,” he shrugged, beginning to scribble something down on his clipboard. “And it looks like this little lady has made it very clear who she wants to go with. Congratulations, you now have an Eevee. I hope you really were interested in her.” 

Harley’s mouth dropped open. “Seriously? Just like that?” they asked, only realising after they’d said it that it was a dumb question. 

Fortunately, the man again found it funny. He handed her a piece of paper from his clipboard which revealed itself to be an adoption form. He had already filled out the Eevee’s information, such as her shelter-issued ID number, age and name - which was currently just ‘Eevee’ still. “Here. Just fill this out, take it to one of the staff members over there-” he pointed to the longest table, were roughly half a dozen people sat chatting - “and they’ll walk you through the rest. Were you thinking about adopting more than one today? We often try to adopt Pokémon out in pairs, since it’s been proven that it’s beneficial to them to have a similar kind of company.” 

Harley nodded, running a hand through their hair. “Uh, I was actually looking at a Fennekin over there,” they said, looking back towards where they’d left it, but it didn’t seem to be there anymore. Harley furrowed their brow. “But I think it’s gone. Someone probably already adopted it, huh?” 

The man shrugged again. “Possibly. It’s worth having another look over there, they could just be wandering around or having a snack.” 

“True, thank you,” Harley said warmly, taking the form from him and heading off. The Eevee followed them loyally, trotting beside them with their ears and tail upright and alert. Harley couldn’t help but smile; she was so bouncy and bright despite having gone through whatever horrors their previous trainer had put her through. It looked liked it hadn’t affected her at all, really. 

Unfortunately for them, the Fennekin had already been chosen by someone else in that short space of time, but they weren’t really surprised. Though disappointed, they were still very glad that it had found a home, whether or not it was with them or somebody else. They walked with the Eevee to the edge of the fair and sat down on a bench, finally putting their heavy backpack down and resting their back. The Eevee hopped up beside them, peering at the form as they began to read over it. Harley tapped the borrowed pen against their chin, humming softly as they tried to decide which boxes to tick. For them, even a question as simple as gender was difficult to answer. They decided to leave that box blank. 

_Reason for selecting this Pokémon._  
Well, Eevee had selected them. 

_What type of property do you live in?_  
As of last night, when they chose to run away, they were homeless. 

_Do you have a secure garden? How high is your fence? Do you have a pond?_

Harley began to sweat a little. They could barely answer any of these. Did this mean they couldn’t adopt the Eevee? Were they going to have to give her back? 

They looked over at the little Pokémon, who looked right back at them with large, soulful eyes. Tentatively, she placed a paw on Harley’s leg. _It’s okay. I trust you._

Harley let out a breath they hadn’t realised they were holding. “Thank you,” they whispered, smiling slightly. The Eevee barked in response, wagging her tail appreciatively. Harley turned the form over to look at the other side, relaxing a little more when they saw all these questions were easily answerable. 

_Have you ever had Pokémon before?_  
No. 

_Are you planning on competing/battling with this Pokémon?_  
Yes. 

_Will this Pokémon ever be left alone for more than an hour?_  
Not if they could help it. 

_Are you giving this Pokémon a name? If yes, please state here._  
Oh. 

There was no way they weren’t going to give her a name, but to be honest they hadn’t actually thought of this yet. Up until about half an hour ago, they had still thought they were getting a Piplup today and names were planned accordingly. You could hardly call an Eevee Pingu, could you? 

Harley sat back, chewing their lip as they studied the Eevee. “You want a name, right? Have you ever thought about what you’d like?” 

The Eevee looked back at her blankly. “Eevee.” 

Harley huffed a laugh. “I suppose I could call you Eve,” they said, tucking some of their hair behind their ear as it flopped into their face. “But I feel like that’s a bit of a cop-out. Maybe I should name you something based on what I want you to evolve into?” 

The Eevee snorted, lashing her tail a little. Harley’s smile grew. “True. You should decide for yourself what you evolve into, if at all.” 

Flicking through the rest of the form, Harley decided to fill the rest of it out later. They wanted to find and adopt another perfect Pokémon before all of them were gone. It was great they were all going so fast, honestly, but they wanted to grab another cute one before they were all taken. 

“Let’s go find you a friend first, hmm?” they said brightly, standing back up and grabbing their bag. “I’m sure as I get to know you, we’ll figure out a good name.” 

“Vee!” she replied, jumping back down from the bench. Harley smiled, tucking the form into the top of their bag and walking back into the thick of the fair. They needn’t have worried about all the Pokémon going; there were still dozens around. They headed over to the row of starters, hoping to find a Piplup there - after all, that’s why they had originally come to Sandgem down anyway. Instead, they immediately fell in love with a completely different Pokémon. 

Laying fast asleep in a basket on the floor was a rather small, yet fat Bulbasaur. The bulb on its back was a mix of strange, sickly shades of grey and red; its body more blue than green and its trademark patches were largely towards the ends of all its limbs and face, as opposed to evenly covering it all over. Harley crouched down to get a closer look at it, confused but intrigued. They turned to the information sheet tacked to the wicker basket, hoping for some answers. 

_Name: Patches_  
_Species: Bulbasaur-Vileplume hybrid_  
_This Pokémon is the result of crossing a female Bulbasaur with a male Vileplume. Whilst non-existent in registered breeding programs, hybrids such as these are increasingly common in both the wild and home environments. Pokémon crossbreeds will take on the majority of its characteristics from their mother, with accents from the father. This particular hybrid of Bulbasaur-Vileplume is one of the most common crosses known. Unfortunately, due to the smell of rotting flesh and the incredibly allergenic pollen the flower emits when it blooms, Pokémon such as Patches are quickly abandoned in favour of more traditional variations of its species._

Despite the flower still being in its bud, Harley’s nose wrinkled as they imagined what this Pokémon would smell like in the future. The Eevee walked straight up to the sleeping Bulbasaur however, sniffing its face and studying it closely. When it got too close, it let out a massive yawn, displaying all of its tiny but clearly sharp teeth. No matter how you looked at it, this Pokémon was never going to be ‘cute’. 

Harley loved it. 

They stood back up, a wide smile playing across their face. The Eevee looked back up at them, blinking curiously as they flagged over a member of staff. 

“Hi, please can I have a form for this one? I would really like to adopt him.” 

Again, the member of staff looked surprised. “Really? Uh, sure! Let me just grab you a form.” 

As she went off to collect one, Harley crouched back down in front of the Bulbasaur. “Hey there, buddy. I know you’re awake,” they said softly, not quite daring to reach out and touch him just yet. “How do you feel about coming with me today?” 

The Bulbasaur opened one eye. He looked them up and down slowly, then grunted and closed it again. Harley grinned. “I’ll take that as a yes, then?” 

“Saur.” _You’ll do._

The lady returned with the form a few moments later, and Harley began to fill it out right there - or at least, what they could fill out. This Pokémon already had a nickname, so for now they saw no reason to change it or give them a new one. Again, most of the form they were unable to fill in, so they went over to the table with all the staff members they had been directed to before. Whilst the little Eevee was happy to follow them there, Patches stubbornly remained in his basket, refusing to move. He did, however, keep an eye on them to make sure they didn’t go too far. 

Harley could barely contain their excitement as one of them invited them to sit down; it overshadowed their shyness and fear tenfold. The lady, like all the others, was endlessly kind and helpful.  
“So, are going to train these Pokémon or are they going to be companions?” she asked, taking a pen to fill out the form herself. 

“I’m hoping to compete in the Sinnoh League with them,” Harley said, checking over their shoulder that Patches was still where they’d left him. Spoiler alert, he was. “I understand that Eevee would need very careful training at first, though, because she’s so thin and all.” 

The lady nodded. “I would go so far as to say that she shouldn’t battle at all until she’s a healthy weight. She may think she’s fine, but as her trainer and caretaker you need to know better.”  
Harley chewed on their lip a little, trying not to fidget too much. “That’s okay. I’m also adopting Patches, and he can battle, right?” 

The lady looked over to him with a wry smile. “He’s the opposite. He _can_ , but won’t. He’s stubborn like that,” she said, picking up the form again. “You’ve stated here you’ve never had a Pokémon before. Are these two going to be your starters?” 

“Um, that was the idea, yeah,” Harley mumbled, suddenly feeling very self conscious. “I guess I haven’t picked an easy couple, have I?” 

“You sure haven’t. Are you sure you wouldn’t like to change your mind?” 

“No.” Harley’s response was immediate. “These two are perfect. It wouldn’t be fair on them to raise their hopes only to give up on them.” 

The lady chuckled, filling in a few more details on the form for them. “I think you’re going to do wonderfully, don’t you worry.” She reached under the table to grab a small cardboard box, and handed it to Harley. “This is basically a starter pack of supplies. It contains two Potions, two Full Heals, two day’s worth standard Pokémon food and two PokéBalls - one for each of your chosen Pokémon. There’s also a general information booklet in there, which gives you details on our Support Service and Aftercare - if you have any questions or need any help, you can give us a phone call within office hours, all year round. If you wait a moment I’ll just go and find the specific care guides for your two Pokémon, which will tell you about any underlying problems they have, any specific training they need and any medications they are currently taking, as well as basic info such as their current age, ideal weight and so on.” 

Harley nodded quietly as the lady continued explaining things to them, getting slightly overwhelmed. They had been under the impression that getting their starter Pokémon was going to be a quick and easy, in-and-out kind of exchange. This process was a lot more complex than they’d originally thought. But that was okay - what mattered was that they were actually doing this. 

“Here,” the lady said, sitting down again. “Eevee is on a very specific, medicated diet so I can give you more of her food seeing as it’s specialist. Once she’s the correct weight, though, you can switch her onto normal Pokémon food. Patches is on a diet, so just control his portions and limit his treats and you should be fine. If you evolve him into an Ivysaur, he will require some specialist care due to his rotting corpse flower.” 

Harley took the papers from her, skimming over them fairly quickly. “Fair enough. Is there anything else I have to do to officially become their trainer?” 

“Yes. Would you prefer to pay the adoption fee via cash or card?” 

Harley’s eyes snapped to hers. “What?” 

“The adoption fee,” she explained gently. “£300. Normally it’s £200 each, but because of your age, status and today’s fair, there’s a fairly large discount.” She pushed her glasses up her nose. “It sounds like an awful lot, I know, but all the money goes straight back to the Pokémon.” 

Harley’s hands began to tremble. That would use up all the money they had, in one go. If they paid it, how would they then later feed themselves, or pay for hotels on their journey? The lady quickly noticed her panic and tried to soothe her. 

“I’m not sure if you were aware, but if you register for the league - another £100 - all the Pokémon Centres around the region will feed and board you for free, as well as heal your Pokémon. Like this shelter, they all run on donations, but it means children like you have a guaranteed place to stay and rest for as long as you need to.” 

Harley breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they could pay that hundred, they would be set. They could handle this. It was going to be okay. 

“Thanks, I had no idea,” they said, scratching the back of their neck. “What’s the maximum age they let you do that…?”` 

The lady had to think for a moment. “Up until eighteen, it’s completely free, and until twenty-one I think it’s discounted. Of course, you can also invest in a tent - all rural centres have camping grounds for free, and they’re useful if you get lost, too.” 

Harley nodded. That wasn’t something they’d thought about, but made sense. At least they had another two years of free hotel rooms to enjoy. They leaned down to unzip their bag, digging down deep to the bottom to find their wallet. “Thank you. I’ll pay in cash, if that’s alright?” _I can’t leave a paper trail. That’s how she’ll find me._

“Of course,” she smiled, opening up her money box. “I hope you all have a lot of fun together on your journey!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: References to an abusive history/person


	2. Failure and Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harley attempts their first battle, and also talks to someone other than their Pokémon for a change.

Five hours later, and fun was the exact opposite of the time they were having together. 

Patches just would _not_ get along with the Eevee, and she refused to get along with him. They were both fiercely competitive over food; he had already eaten the entire two days worth of food before Harley could even think about stopping him, and the Eevee was constantly nipping and scratching at him to try to steal a share. Harley was almost at their wits end when he decided to aim an attack at her as they were walking down the route to Jubilife City. 

“For Christ’s sake, please just _stop!”_ they shouted, forcibly separating the two of them by planting themselves between them on the ground. Patches just about managed to stop his Razor Leaf from hitting them by aiming it off into the trees at the last minute, but a stray leaf or two still hit Harley’s face, scratching their cheek lightly. They were too irritated to care. “Patches, I know you love your food - so do I, if you couldn’t tell - but you gotta stop. I don’t have enough money to keep feeding you like that. And Eevee - stop picking fights! You were there when we were told you aren’t ready to battle, so why are you ignoring it?” 

Both the Pokémon huffed, refusing to look them in the eye. Harley folded their arms, unimpressed. “If you two can’t get along, one or both of you are going in your PokéBalls early. I mean it.” This had the opposite intended effect. Patches stormed off in one direction, and the Eevee the other, leaving Harley torn and exasperated. The Eevee disappeared into the long grass almost faster than they could blink, but Patches had a slow waddle that made it easy for them to throw a PokéBall and catch him without anything getting in the way. Shoving the ball deep down into their pocket, they tried their best to follow where they thought the Eevee had gone. They were forced to stray even further from the obvious path along the route, and deeper into the wilds where they just knew they would be attacked. “Eevee? Eevee, come on, where are you?” they called, the heavy feeling of dread gnawing at their chest. “Please come back? Eevee!” 

There was no response. Either she was wilfully ignoring them, or just couldn’t hear, and Harley wasn’t sure which was worse. They trudged deeper into the grass, pushing it aside to stop it from flicking against their face. When trainers spoke of tall grass, they really weren’t kidding. There was tonnes of room for a Pokémon to sneak up on them and attack. 

“Eevee, please come back! You can have some food…! I’ve got some cookies, a bar of chocolate, a packet of crisps - you can have anything you like!” they shouted, getting a little desperate. “Eev-!” Harley was cut off by a loud bark, scaring a couple of Starly out of their trees and into the sky. They froze in place, waiting in fear to see which Pokémon was going to jump out and possibly eat them for all they knew. They racked their brains, trying to remember which Pokémon were native to this part of Sinnoh - Shinx, Kricketot, Bidoof, Starly - 

“Growlithe?” 

Harley looked down in shock as a large, russet dog parted the grass in front of them. It looked back up at them with such an innocent expression, Harley instantly fell in love. 

“Oh, aren’t you gorgeous?” they cooed, crouching down and reaching out to pet it. As if a switch had been flicked, the Growlithe changed from cute and fluffy to terrifying in less than a second as it snapped at Harley’s fingers, only narrowly missing them. It growled low and deep in the back of its throat, its teeth bared and prepared to bite again. Harley recoiled sharply, holding their hand close to their chest and biting back a string of curses. They began to back away very slowly, not wanting to aggravate it any more than they already had. 

“Just stay calm, alright? I don’t wanna hurt you,” they whispered, slowly inching their other hand into their pocket. They didn’t quite feel ready for their first ever battle just yet, especially not when they were only armed with a Grass type against Fire, but Patches may well be their only protection. The Growlithe unfortunately noticed this movement and snarled again, flattening its fluffy ears against its skull. Harley swallowed. They had no choice. 

“Patches, I need you,” they shouted as they threw the ball up into the air, hands trembling again. At first, the Bulbasaur just looked around in confusion (Harley only realised later that he’d probably never been in a PokéBall before), so they had to spell it out for him. 

“Patches, Tackle the Growlithe, go!” they called weakly, hoping they remembered the moves correctly. Patches didn’t move; he turned to look at Harley with a look of vague disdain. The Growlithe itself was taken aback by his obvious disinterest, and took this chance to attack again. In a flash of orange it lunged at the unsuspecting Bulbasaur, chomping down hard on his back leg and refusing to let go. Patches wailed in pain, attempting to shake and kick him off to no avail. Harley hid their face in their hands, his cries breaking their heart as they desperately tried to remember the other attacks he knew. It wasn’t as simple as it should have been; he had a mix of both a Bulbasaur’s moves and a Vileplume’s and whilst they overlapped somewhat, he was supposed to learn things at different times and- 

“Patches, if you can, use Poison Powder! It’ll be okay, I promise!” Harley shouted, shrugging their backpack off of their shoulders and digging through it for the information sheets they’d stuffed in their earlier. Patches grunted noisily but surprisingly obeyed; within a few seconds the two of them were coated in a thick layer of purple dust. Harley covered their mouth and nose with their hand, doing their best to avoid inhaling the toxins. It had the desired effect on the Growlithe, however - it sprang back from the Bulbasaur and sneezed, whimpering slightly as the poison took hold. 

Patches waddled back to Harley’s side as fast as his stubby legs could carry him, disgruntled and annoyed. Harley hoped that that would be the end of the battle, that the Growlithe would run back off into the grass with its tail between its legs and leave them be - but of course, luck was never on their side. It scratched at the ground in anger, curling its lip before running at the two of them again. Harley knew Patches would never be able to move fast enough to counter it, so there was only one thing they could really do to avoid any more injury. They grabbed the other PokéBall - the one meant for the Eevee - from the top of their bag and threw it blindly, hoping that if it missed it would at least distract the Growlithe long enough for them to get away. 

The sound of the ball hitting the ground never came. It hit the Pokémon square on the nose, pulling it inside moments before it would have come into contact with them. Harley stumbled back, almost tripping over Patches and their own two feet as they watched the PokéBall rock and flash before them. With a click and a ping, the Growlithe was caught. 

For a few moments, Harley couldn’t quite believe it. They stared at the ball, half expecting it to pop open and let the Growlithe continue its attack, but it remained closed shut. They cautiously picked it up and turned it over in their hand. Patches nudged at their leg and grumbled softly, breaking them out of their stupor briefly. They crouched down to give him a little scratch behind his ear, smiling as he leaned into it. The sight of his injured back leg filled them with shame. 

“I only have two Potions,” they explained to him, unsure whether he was actually listening. “I can give you one now, but I think we should save it for if you really need it. Can you still walk? I may need you to battle again.” 

Patches nodded, demonstrating for them. He now had a limp, but it was nothing serious. Harley sagged with relief. 

“You did great, buddy,” they said warmly, picking up his ball. “You take a rest, I’ll let you know when I find Eevee.” 

Patches croaked contentedly in response, letting Harley return him without a problem. They pocketed both of the PokéBalls, pretty much praying that nothing else would jump out at them. Patches was in no shape to fight effectively now and who knew whether the Growlithe would listen to them at all after that catastrophe that had been a battle. 

“Eevee! Eevee, come on, get back here!” they continued shouting, shoving the grass out of their way and staggering back onto the path. They were just beginning to resign themselves to the fact they’d probably never see her again when they heard a shout from the other side of a cluster of trees. Ignoring how their knees and back ached, they ran over, their heart in their throat. 

Sure enough, it was their Eevee was involved in the commotion, but it wasn’t at all what they had been expecting. She had pounced on an unsuspecting couple whilst they had a picnic in the shade, diving straight into their hamper and gorging herself on their food. 

“Eevee, stop! Get out of there!” Harley shouted, trying not to either laugh or cry at the situation. At the sound of their voice, she jumped straight back out of the basket and scampered over to Harley’s side. Harley immediately bent down and scooped her up, preventing her from attacking the poor couple’s food once more. They knew she hated being touched, let alone picked up, but they would deal with that later. For now they had to restrain her. 

“I am so sorry,” they gushed, voice shaking a little. “I only just got her, I’m so so sorry.” 

The lady on the left waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, don’t worry about it! She looks like she could use a good meal, huh?” 

Harley laughed nervously. “Definitely. I just adopted her from a shelter, so she’s supposed to be on a medicated diet or something to help her put on weight without hurting her.” 

The lady on the right put an arm around her partner and smiled sadly. “All our Pokémon came from shelters, too. It’s a wonderful thing you’re doing there.” 

Harley’s cheeks turned a little pink. “Th- thank you. I’m, uh, I’m sorry again, you know. That she barged in like that. We’re gonna go now. I h-hope you have a good day!” they stammered before quickly heading off back along the path. Jubilife City was within sight now, and they wanted to find the Pokémon Centre before dinner so they could properly relax this evening. Today had been a long, long day. 

The moment they were out of sight, the Eevee began to wriggle and squirm in their arms, fighting to be put down. Harley eventually gave up trying to hold her, and set her down firmly in front of them but still wouldn’t fully let go. 

“Do you promise not to run off again?” they demanded, actually kinda furious with her. The Eevee full on scowled at them, her tail lashing. Harley scowled right back, before suddenly breaking into laughter.  
This caught the Eevee completely by surprise and she relaxed under Harley’s hands, cocking her head to the side in confusion. 

“You have- you have a bit of- come here,” they laughed, licking their thumb and wiping gently at the corner of the Eevee’s mouth. “Seems like you really enjoyed their chocolate pudding, huh?” 

If she could, the Eevee would have blushed. She broke eye contact with Harley and grumbled to herself, her ears drooping a little. Harley wiped the last of the mess away and sat back. “It’s okay, you know. I do too. I don't blame you for wanting all the food you can get."

Eevee barked softly in response, reaching out to lick Harley’s hand comfortingly. They had an idea. 

“Hey, what about the name Chocolate, seeing as we both like it so much?” they suggested, tucking some stray hair behind their ear again. “It doesn’t define what you are or who you’ll turn into, and it’s cute, right?” 

The Eevee seemed to think for a moment, before squeaking her approval. Harley beamed, delighted that things were actually going their way right now. 

“So will you behave now? No more running off and stealing food?” 

Chocolate didn’t seem convinced. “Vee.” 

Harley folded their arms. “You’ll get some of my chocolate after dinner,” they offered, their stomach rumbling at just the thought of it. 

Thankfully, Chocolate deemed that a suitable deal and wagged her tail. Harley grinned, staggering back upright and stretching. “Awesome! We’re so close to Jubilife City now, as soon as we find the Pokémon Centre we can eat. After I’ve registered for the league, we’ll settle down for the night, alright?” 

“Eevee!” she replied, starting to trot off down the pair with an air of confidence Harley only wished they possessed themselves. For a Pokémon that had apparently been through so much hardship, she sure didn’t let it get to her. 

Harley found the Centre and registered for the League with no problem, thanks to excellent signposting and hoards of other trainers and Pokémon heading the same way. They grimaced as they handed over yet another large sum of money, leaving them with very little over £200 left from their initial runaway fund. It was only when they took their bag to their room to settle in and release Patches from his PokéBall did Harley remember the consequences of the whole incident with the Growlithe. Healing their Pokémon should have been the very first thing on their mind, but instead they found themselves guilty of thinking about how soon they could take a nap. Harley ran back out to the front desk, abandoning their bag on the bed and all but threw their balls at the Nurse Joy at the counter. 

“I’m so so sorry, it completely slipped my mind - please can you heal these two? They were in a battle earlier, one’s poisoned but the other should just be tired-!” 

“Easy there, it’s okay,” the Nurse soothed, accepting the balls and loading them into the machine behind her. “It can take a while to get into a routine, don’t worry about it. A lot of trainers forget to give their Pokémon to me completely.” Her smiley, calm attitude did wonders for Harley’s stress levels, reminding them that they were not in fact the only new trainer in the world. They had been so worried over people expecting more from them due to their age than they would a ten-year-old, but it seemed that the vast majority of people they were encountering were just happy to see people and Pokémon getting along. 

“What about your Eevee? Do you need me to heal her too?” Nurse Joy prompted, nodding to the little Pokémon at their feet. Harley shook their head, wringing their hands a little nervously still. 

“Uh, no, she hasn’t battled today. But thank you.” 

“Are you feeding her properly?” she asked, worry etched into her face. “She’s looking a little thin. You can always ask any of the staff here and in other Centres for help if you need it, you know.” 

This was going to happen a lot, wasn’t it? The assumption that they had been the one to starve Chocolate. Harley sighed, wondering just how many Nurse Joys they were going to have to reassure over the coming weeks. “I am. I adopted her this morning from a shelter. She’s on a special diet. It’s okay.” 

Nurse Joy smiled, all traces of worry gone from her expression. “Oh, really? That’s lovely!” she said brightly, turning to retrieve the two PokéBalls and handing them back to their trainer. “There. They’re both back in tip-top shape! Please enjoy the rest of your evening here!” 

Harley smiled awkwardly back, holding them close to their chest so as not to drop them. “Um, thank you. Have a good evening too,” they replied, before quickly retreating to their room. They flopped down heavily on their bed, doing their best to release all tension from their muscles and relax. Chocolate jumped up onto the bed beside them, nosing determinedly at the PokéBalls still in their hands. Harley turned their head to look at her, not bothering to sit up. “What? What is it?” 

“Vee, eevee!” she whined, beginning to paw at the balls instead, attempting to pry them out of Harley’s hands. It took them a moment, but they realised fairly quickly what she wanted. 

“Oh, shit, yeah,” they breathed, pushing themselves back into a sitting position. “Whilst you were off stealing people’s picnics, a wild Growlithe attacked Patches and I. There wasn’t much chance of him winning due to his weight and type, and we couldn’t run away, so I caught it instead,” they explained, turning the ball over in their hands. Chocolate looked up at them questioningly. What about my PokéBall? 

“Yeah, I screwed up, I know,” Harley sighed, looking away. “I caught him in your ball, ‘cause I didn’t have any others. I promise, though, if you don’t run away tonight, I’ll buy you one first thing in the morning, okay?” 

Chocolate snorted, but she didn’t really seem annoyed in the slightest. She went back to nudging the ball with her paw, her whiskers twitching impatiently. 

“I’m a little nervous about sending him out, I’m sorry,” they said quietly, hoping she would understand. “I mean, he was really kinda scary when he was attacking us. I don’t want that happening again.” 

Still, Chocolate continued fussing over the ball, alternating between trying to press the button herself and shooting Harley looks of mild irritation. Harley quickly gave in, not wanting to lose her trust so soon after they’d gained it. Against their better judgement, they closed their eyes and pressed the button, bracing themselves for the worst. 

In a flash of light, the Growlithe materialised on the ground in front of them in all its orange, fluffy glory. He sat down and barked loudly at Harley, demanding their attention, and when they opened their eyes his tail wagged nineteen to the dozen. He was almost unrecognisable from the scared, snarly monster they had caught earlier. 

Harley’s face softened as he began exploring the room, poking his nose into ever corner and crevice. His tail didn’t stop wagging once; his excitement for his new situation knew no bounds. He was actually incredibly adorable, Harley thought, happy to just sit and watch him. Beside them, Chocolate yapped happily and shot Harley a look as if to say I told you so, before jumping down and running over to play. At first, the Growlithe seemed a little startled, but the two of them quickly began to roll around and chase each other like they had been friends forever. 

“Careful, guys, try not to break anything,” they called out after a while of watching them, having nervously seen them knock into the dresser and nearly topple over a lamp or two. Only Chocolate paused to acknowledge them, if only for a moment - the Growlithe paid them no mind at all, continuing to treat the small room like a playground. Before too long, he knocked into the dresser again and the lamp fell, narrowly missing him as it thudded to the floor. Both Pokémon skidded to a stop. 

“What did I tell you?” Harley sighed, just thankful it hadn’t broken or hurt either of them. The Growlithe whined softly, tail between his legs but they couldn’t stay mad at him for long. Once they had put the lamp back they sat down on the floor and opened their arms, inviting him over. “We never properly introduced ourselves, did we?” they said, stroking the plume of soft fur on top of his head. He barked in response, pushing into their hand needily. Harley smiled as he settled down quite happily on their lap, almost like he had been born just to lie exactly there. “Well, my name is Harley. I’m your trainer now. I plan on battling gyms, competing in contests, anything and everything as long as it’s with you guys. This is only my first day, but so far it’s going pretty well, I think.” 

The Growlithe looked up at them, giving no indication as to whether he was actually understanding them or not, but Harley just liked talking to him. 

“Your new friend over there is Chocolate,” they continued, looking over to the Eevee who had jumped back up onto the bed and was grooming herself contentedly. “The Bulbasaur you fought earlier is Patches. I’d send him out to say hello, but I’m worried he’ll eat all my remaining food before I have a chance to buy more.” 

At the mention of food, the Growlithe’s ears pricked up. He opened his jaws in a wolfish smile, his tongue lolling out over his incredible teeth. Harley leaned a little away from him, slightly concerned by them - if he decided to bite them, it would either scar horribly or rip the limb clean off and to be quite honest, they didn’t want that to happen. The Growlithe showed no signs of aggression, however, instead settling back down and rolling over to expose his belly when it became apparent there was no actual food on offer. Very cautiously, Harley went back to petting him, relaxing once more as he wriggled and panted and rolled around like a tiny puppy. 

“You know, you should have a nickname, too,” they said, rubbing his belly more confidently and tickling under his chin. His tail wagged hard, slapping them in the side surprisingly hard. “How about Arlo? Do you like that, buddy?” 

The Growlithe barked, jumping back upright so he could start licking Harley’s face with gusto. They pulled back laughing, trying half-heartedly to push him back off as they were covered in slobber. “I guess that’s a yes!”

* 

“Well guys, this is it,” Harley said, standing before the doors to the first gym in Sinnoh. Chocolate and Arlo stood beside them to their right, Patches on the left. They all looked up at the doors, some more nervous than the others.

The past week had been spent training, and training hard. Harley still had an awful lot to learn about being a good trainer, and they were painfully aware of it. The first few days they had barely strayed out of the Pokémon Centre in Jubilife City - it wasn’t that they had to keep returning to Nurse Joy, but almost every time either Arlo or Patches took a hit they couldn’t help but worry (aka: freak out). They had already researched in advance what type of gym they were up against, so they knew they had to really bulk up Patches instead of Arlo, but given the boundless energy the puppy had and the huge disadvantage Patches had under him, it was rather difficult to keep things safe and sane. Of course, no matter how hard Arlo hit, Patches always tried to hit harder. He just didn’t always manage it. 

Eventually, after teaching Patches a few new, crucial moves, Harley deemed them ready to at least try. They thought they had a pretty good chance of winning - after all, with Patches they had a good type advantage, and with Arlo they had endless determination. Chocolate, meanwhile, was ever grumpy that she couldn’t join in with all the fun just yet, and she let everybody know at every opportunity. Harley always took time out of their day to do some extra special, gentle work with her but both of them knew it wasn’t really enough to satisfy her. At the very least, today was going to be some great experience for them all, whether they were watching or taking part. 

With a deep breath, Harley pushed open the door, letting their Pokémon through before they went in themself. The inside of the gym seemed bigger than it had been on the outside - heaps of rock and rubble piled up against the sides with one, enormous mountain in the middle. It was like standing in the middle of a wall-climbing centre that was part way through demolition; there were brightly coloured, chalk-covered handholds for trainers to grasp and climb to the top with. There was also a winding, gravely pathway complete with rope bridges and railings if you preferred. The whole thing looked incredibly unsafe and precarious. 

At the very top of a central pillar of rock stood a young man in a hard hat and overalls. When he caught sight of Harley he waved down animatedly, apparently pleased to see them.  
“Hi there! Are you here to challenge the gym?” he called down, his voice carrying surprisingly well. Harley could hear him perfectly. 

“Uh, yeah,” they replied, squinting up at him against the lights. “Is this the right place? It looks kinda dangerous.” 

The man laughed. “It’s mostly plaster and cast iron, don’t worry. Looks realistic though, doesn’t it?” he said proudly. “I’m in charge of this gym. The name’s Roark.” 

“Harley,” Harley responded, starting to carefully make their way up the pathway. There was no chance of them being able to climb the rocks bare handed. Everything did indeed feel very stable and solid beneath their feet, calming a little of their nerves. “These are my Pokémon, Chocolate, Patches and Arlo. Chocolate won’t be battling, though, as she’s still recovering from a previous trainer.” It was probably better to preempt the comments on her condition than to let everybody think that they were the ones who had starved her. 

“So you rescued her, huh?” Roark beamed at them, offering them a hand when they hesitated before the final big step. This gym sure wasn’t easy to get into, so Harley could only imagine how difficult it was going to be to defeat it. “I bet you she’s a fighter. When she battles, she’ll be tough. I can feel it.” 

Chocolate puffed up her chest fluff at the praise, looking over to Patches triumphantly. The Bulbasaur grunted in annoyance, rolling his amber eyes. Harley smiled fondly at them both, despite their dispute. Roark seemed to find it amusing too, crouching down to give them both a pat on the head. Before Harley could warn him, however, Chocolate turned and nipped at his hand, her hackles rising. Roark recoiled sharply, his eyes wide, before laughing. 

“She really is feisty, isn’t she?” he commented, putting his hands on his hips. Chocolate glared up at him, unimpressed. Harley blushed a little, somewhat embarrassed by the situation. 

“Y-yeah. She doesn’t really like to be touched, I’m sorry I didn’t warn you.” 

Roark waved his hand dismissively. “No, don’t be. She didn’t hurt me, so don’t worry about it.” He clapped his hands together as excitement lit up his face. “Shall we get the battle started, then? I can’t wait to see what you can do.”

* 

Harley realised very quickly that there wasn’t very much at all they could do.

They had severely underestimated the difficulty of a gym battle, and despite having the type advantage, Patches was doing very poorly. When he trained against Arlo, the battles were predictable and relatively calm. This was a whole new thing. Roark’s Geodude was impenetrable, and literally hard as rock. Tackling it had almost no effect whatsoever - in fact, it seemed to hurt Patches more. It barely had to lift a finger to completely disorientate him. It spun around him with a fair amount of speed, throwing miscellaneous rocks from the ground, scratching and bruising the poor Bulbasaur as he struggled to follow his movements. It didn’t help that Harley was too panicked to say or do much, either. 

“Geodude, he’s getting weaker! Use Stealth Rock, now!” Roark ordered, giving his commands way too much energy for the frankly pathetic situation. Immediately, his Pokémon began to force gigantic, jagged rocks out of the ground and circled Patches with them, effectively trapping him where he stood. Well, it wasn’t like he was moving much anyway, Harley thought to themself, desperately trying to find a positive in this situation. 

The Geodude backed away, relaxing as it knew that Patches was pretty much done for now. Harley didn’t want to give up, though. They wanted to, because winning seemed impossible now, but they wouldn’t let themself. 

“Patches, use your Vine Whip to get out of the rocks, then use Leech Seed, one more time!” Harley called out, hoping that the Geodude was arrogant enough to assume this wouldn’t work. Which it probably wouldn’t. But there was a chance it might, so they bloody well would seize it. 

After a grunt of acknowledgement, Patches began to pound on the rocky pillars with all his might - the moment one dislodged even slightly, he shot a seed through the gap - we might win this we might win this we might win this - and it hit the Geodude straight on. Glowing green roots ensnared its body and arms, trapping it in one place and sucking its energy away. Patches’ attacks against the Stealth Rock grew stronger and stronger, until he managed to force his way out of the pile and back onto the playing field. 

“Geodude, shake it off, you can do it!” Roark shouted, pushing his glasses up his nose. 

“Don’t let him do it! Vine Whip, again!” Harley countered, their pulse going a mile a minute. Patches responded slightly slower than Geodude, but his vines were faster than his legs and he managed to coil one tightly around the rocky Pokémon. He used the other to whack it in the face as the roots continued to drain its energy, which was now being pumped along the vines back into Patches at an even faster rate. 

“Geodude, Rock Throw, let’s go!” Roark shouted again, surprisingly calm. Harley didn’t trust him. The Geodude groaned in response, grabbing wildly around for any kind of stone or pebble it could bash Patches with but came up short. Moments later, the last of its energy was drained away, leaving it unconscious on the ground. Patches immediately backed off and trotted over to Harley, incredibly pleased with himself. Harley beamed with pride, almost picking him up for a hug. 

“Well done, Patches! You did it!” they grinned, crouching down to plant a kiss on his forehead. He grinned back, all gums and few teeth. Roark recalled his Geodude, praising it despite its loss.  
“Impressive,” he commented, taking another PokéBall from his belt. “But can you two defeat my Onix? Patches may look fine, but he’s still taken a lot of damage.” 

“I know,” Harley said, a little miffed he was treating them like a child. Then again, it was excruciatingly obvious how new they were to this, so he had every right to help them and was probably just trying to be nice. “We still have Arlo, too!” 

“True, but Geodude’s Stealth Rock isn’t going anyway,” he replied wryly, gesturing to the jagged stones still half buried in the ground. Harley grimaced, having forgotten that actually crucial fact. They had been planning on giving Patches a rest, but if that meant doing more harm than it was worth… 

“Go on, Patches, back in the field,” they urged, confident he could do some significant damage to the Onix before he got too tired. Patches croaked with determination, running back out and standing proud in the middle of the field. Roark laughed, enjoying Patches’ display as he sent out his own Pokémon. 

Unfortunately, Harley had yet again underestimated him - Onix was huge. Now they understood why the gym was so much bigger than what they’d thought. 

As the monster of a Pokémon materialised before Patches, Harley could see him shrinking down before it. He wasn’t even half the size of the smallest boulder on the end of its tail. If he wasn’t careful, he would be crushed like an insect. 

Roark pushed his glasses up his nose once more, letting them catch the light and reflect straight into Harley’s face. “Good luck, Harley. You think you can take my next Pokémon like that?”  
For somebody who had been so nice before, battling sure made him kinda mean. 

Harley sucked in a deep breath and nodded, determined to stay, well, determined. “Patches, take the first move! Leech Seed, again! Jump out the way if you need to, I know you can do it!” 

Patches immediately jumped up into the air as high as he could - which was about a foot - and summoned the roots once more, but before he could land the hit Roark was calling out his own attack.  
“Onix, knock him down!” 

The giant Pokémon roared, lifted the tip of its tail and hit Patches head on, sending him flying into the far wall. Harley’s heart was in their throat - would Patches have even survived that, let alone be able to battle? When the dust around his body settled, they had their answer. He was definitley alive, but there was absolutely no way he could fight anymore. 

“You may have had a type advantage, but my Onix is really something else,” Roark boasted, crossing his arms. Harley rubbed the back of their neck, trying in vain to work out even a little of the tension as they called Patches back to his PokéBall. 

“You were amazing, buddy,” they whispered, holding it up to their lips. “Take a good rest. I’ll get you to Nurse Joy as soon as possible.” They pocketed the ball with a sigh, before turning to Arlo. “You’re up, mister,” they said, worry evident in their tone. Arlo hesitated before running out onto the field, looking back over his shoulder at his trainer anxiously. Having just seen Patches freaking annihilated by this Onix, he clearly wanted nothing to do with it. Harley felt guilty even thinking about putting him through this, when they themselves thought they had pretty much no chance of winning, but it was far too late to back out now. 

The very second Arlo put his paw down in the middle of the field, the Stealth Rock activated. Dozens of enormous, pointed stones flew at him from all directions, homing in on him with zero chance of escape. That didn’t stop him from trying, however - he ran around with his tail between his legs, howling as he did so. Harley felt sick. Even Roark grimaced a little. 

“Onix, use Screech! Let’s get this over with!” he called, his voice a little quieter. Harley racked their brains for the moves that Arlo knew that would do anything against this beast. There would be no point in Biting it, Leer wouldn’t really help him at all - Ember was a possibility, but the best one - 

“Arlo, turn to face it and use Roar!” they shouted, voice shaking, but he heard and obeyed immediately. Arlo opened his jaws and let loose a horrendous, ear-splitting cry right in the face of the Onix. It flinched away hard, the roar continuing, before forcing its way back into the PokéBall still in Roark’s hand. Only then did Arlo quieten down; he almost looked surprised by the noise he had made. He looked over to Harley with wide, innocent eyes - if they hadn’t just seen it for themselves, they would never have believed such a truly terrible sound could come from something so small and adorable. 

Roark tossed the ball up and down in his hand. “That was quick thinking,” he praised, “but you still haven’t won. He’s still able to battle, and I’ve still got my Cranidos.” He unclipped the last remaining PokéBall from his belt and threw it into the arena. “Come on out!” 

Harley bit back an audible groan of annoyance. This battle was never going to end. Using Roar again would be pointless, as it would just force Onix back out and that was not something they looked forward to. All that really left was Ember, and that wasn’t particular effective. The only real advantage Arlo had against Cranidos was his speed and vigour. They could work with that, right? 

“Arlo, you’re faster! Run around it in circles and use Ember!” they called out, hoping this would go well. This wasn’t something they’d practised in training, so it was a bit of a gamble whether Arlo would understand exactly what to do at all. Luckily for them, he understood the general gist of what they were saying and began running around as fast as his little legs could carry him. His ears and tail streamed behind him, his tongue lolling as he did his best to summon up tiny fireballs to launch at his opponent. 

“Cranidos, Pursuit!” Roark ordered, strangely calm. Harley swallowed their nerves down, holding onto the belief that Arlo still had a chance, that he was still faster - but Roark’s confidence was knocking a huge dent into their own. 

“Arlo, faster!” they yelled, curling their hands into fists. Beside them, Chocolate barked and howled too, also desperately trying to encourage Arlo. It was so clear that she really wanted to join in, but was staying put for Harley’s sake. They had a suspicion that if she had been wild, she would have gotten into bigger fights than she could handle all the time. 

Arlo picked up the speed, his eyes wide and jowls flopping as he did his best to outrun the Cranidos but it just wasn’t going to work. Within only a few moments, the dinosaur caught up to him and crashed into his side. Arlo yelped pitifully as he was flung across the field before slamming into some rocks. He tried to stand up, his legs shaky, but soon fell back down. 

Harley felt like their heart had been crushed. Before the dust had even settled around him, they were running over and scooping him up in their arms. “I am so, so sorry,” they whispered, their voice cracking. Arlo whimpered softly, licking their cheek. I’m sorry, too. 

“That was a close battle,” Roark said, returning Cranidos to his PokéBall and walking over. Harley couldn’t meet his gaze; that had to be the most blatant lie they’d ever heard. “You did well. Your Pokémon clearly enjoy being with you.” 

“Thanks,” they mumbled. “I hope they still do after that mess.” 

Roark placed a hand on Harley’s shoulder. “You are a good trainer, with a good heart - of course they will. Take them to the Pokémon Centre. I look forward to our rematch.” 

Harley sighed softly, returning Arlo to his PokéBall and standing up. “Thank you for the battle,” they said, still not meeting his eyes, before heading back down the path and out of the gym.

* 

As they waited for Nurse Joy to give them their PokéBalls back, Harley sat slumped on a seat in the foyer of the Pokémon Centre. They stared into space, thinking through the battle, trying to work out where they went wrong. Chocolate lay beside them, pretending to be asleep. She was worried too.

“Harley Smith?” 

Harley’s head shot up as their name was called. “Yes? That’s me,” they said, grabbing their bag. Nurse Joy waved them over and through a set of double doors and into a small room. Whilst Arlo’s PokéBall was sitting on a counter, Patches was lying on a bed, clearly disgruntled. He greeted Harley as they walked through the door. 

“I have some bad news for you,” the Nurse said, closing the door behind them. Harley’s blood ran cold; they didn’t understand. Patches looked fine, if a little annoyed. “He took a lot of damage in your last battle. Due to his weight, he isn’t recovering as well as we’d hoped. Whilst I can discharge him back into your care, I’m afraid he won’t be able to battle for a little while.” 

Harley sagged with relief, dragging a hand down their face. “I thought you were going to tell me he was crippled, or had cancer, or something,” they admitted, going over to Patches and giving him a little rub. He leaned into their hand, croaking happily. The Nurse huffed a small laugh. 

“No, nothing quite that dramatic. But this is still serious. His life could still be in danger unless he loses some weight - he is at high risk of having a heart attack, especially when put under a lot of pressure and stress during a battle. He is not a Snorlax, he is not supposed to be obese.” 

Harley nodded, guilt flooding them. “So I have to focus on him losing weight before he can battle,” they confirmed, petting him sadly. Nurse Joy nodded. 

“Exactly. You need to control his diet, give him plenty of exercise and stop feeding him lots of fatty and sugary treats.” 

Harley was too tired to tell her that they weren’t the one who had made him fat in the first place. “Got it. How is Arlo, though? Is he alright?” 

“Your Growlithe is perfectly fine, don’t worry,” she said, “but he seemed to take a bit of a beating too, though. Was that your first gym battle?” 

Harley blushed. “Is it that obvious…?” 

Nurse Joy smiled kindly. “A little, yeah. It’s okay, though. We all have to start somewhere, right?” She handed Harley back their PokéBalls, withdrawing Patches into it for them. “Why don’t you ask another trainer for tips? Most people your age have already been training for a few years. Their experience could be invaluable.” 

Harley scuffed their feet a little as they followed the nurse out of the room and back into the foyer, not really wanting to admit that they hated talking to people. Thankfully, Nurse Joy seemed to pick up on this before they could say anything out loud. 

“Don’t think too much about it. All of you are here because you love Pokémon, so you already have a lot in common with them all. Most of you are also here because you are battling the gyms, too - pet Pokémon just don’t need as much medical attention as working Pokémon. Just go out there and talk to somebody.” 

She made a very compelling point, but Harley knew they were just too painfully shy to actually go and do it. 

“Why don’t you go and ask that boy over there? He seems very friendly,” she continued, pointing to a boy with messy dark hair. On his lap was a Pikachu, sprawled out over both of his knees as he groomed it with a small brush. At his side was a sleeping Sandshrew, curled up and contentedly snoring. 

“Okay, thank you,” Harley said quietly, forcing their body to move forward despite everything within them screaming to stop. What were they even going to say to him? Hi, I’m Harley, I suck at battling, please help? 

As their stride faltered, Chocolate nudged their leg, urging them to keep going. Swallowing down their pride, Harley approached the boy, fiddling with the sleeves of their jumper nervously. Before they could say anything, he looked up at her with a smile. 

“Oh, sorry, am I taking up too much room? Here,” he apologised, shuffling over a little and pulling the Sandshrew with him. It grumbled a little, but didn’t wake up. 

“Ah, thank you,” Harley said softly, trying their best to hide how tense their shoulders were. They sat down and held out their hand. “I’m Harley, and this is Chocolate.” 

“I’m Sam,” he said, taking their hand and shaking it firmly, “but everybody calls me Ash ‘cause Sam is such a common name. Ashmore’s my surname.” 

Harley smiled a little, letting Chocolate jump up on the seat next to them and settle down too. “There were about five different Sams and Samuels back home, to be honest,” they said, making Ash laugh a little. 

“Exactly. And this is Pepsi, my best friend,” he continued, the Pikachu on his lap sitting upright and squeaking energetically at them both. “And Sabriel, the newest member of my team. Turns out she’s a real sleepyhead, if you couldn’t tell,” he grinned, patting the Sandshrew on her back. Unlike Harley, he seemed so at ease with this conversation, as if he had a million like it every day - and didn’t mind that. 

“She’s so cute,” they said softly, admiring her. “Are these two your only Pokémon?” 

“God, no,” Ash said, “I have a full team at the moment. I also have an Ivysaur, Lapras, Venomoth and a Magikarp with me. What about you?” 

“I have a Bulbasaur, although the lady I got him from told me he’s crossed with a Vileplume, so he’s a little… different,” they replied, the blood going to their cheeks. Was this normal? To have weird Pokémon? They couldn’t help but notice Ash’s two both looked happy and healthy and normal, whereas Chocolate was still looking way too skinny, and there was no way you could ever describe Patches as a normal Pokémon. “I also caught a Growlithe a few days ago, but they’re all I have right now.” 

Ash’s eyes grew wild in childish delight. “Ooh, a hybrid Pokémon? Can I see him?” he asked, sitting upright. Harley’s cheeks grew pinker. 

“Um, sure,” they said, taking his ball out of their pocket and pressing the button. When Patches materialised, he looked up at Harley and pointedly licked his lips, letting them know very clearly he was hungry again. “Patches, this is Ash. Say hi.” 

Patches turned his gaze straight to him, croaking a greeting before heading to where he’d placed his bag on the floor. Harley groaned. 

“Oh, no you don’t,” they muttered, pulling him back before he could stick his nose into his bag and steal any food. 

“It’s alright, he can have a bit,” Ash laughed, reaching down and pulling out a tupperware filled with Pokémon-shaped cookies. Patches croaked in delight, munching away very happily on whatever food Ash gave him. Harley sighed a little, but didn’t have the heart to stop them both. 

“He’s supposed to be on a diet, to be honest,” they said, rubbing the back of their head. 

“One or two won’t hurt,” he replied, but patted Patches on the head apologetically when he stopped. “You said he’s a cross between a Vileplume and a Bulbasaur?” He seemed genuinely fascinated by this - Harley had had quite a few passers-by ask them about how strange he was and why, but after hearing the simplest answer were satisfied enough to leave them alone. Ash wasn’t one of these people.  
“Yeah, but I’m afraid I don’t know much more than that,” Harley apologised, beginning to fiddle with the hem of their shirt again. They had to keep their hands moving to prevent them from shaking too hard. That, or bouncing their knee, but they learnt that that was annoying for others the hard way. “I adopted him from a rescue organisation who only really told me about how to care for him, rather than how he got this way. All I know is that Bulbasaur-Vileplume hybrids are apparently increasingly common in the wild, but nobody really wants to train them.” 

“So why are you?” he pressed, leaning forward a little. Harley shrugged slowly, wondering how they should answer. 

“Because he looked like a lot of fun, I guess,” they said, scratching the side of their nose. “Like, he just caught my eye. Captured my heart. Whatever you wanna say.” 

Ash smiled wide, looking down as he began petting Pepsi. “I know exactly what you mean,” he said fondly, his tone surprisingly soft. “So is there any extra special care you have to give him, other than the diet? Or is he just like a regular Bulbasaur?” 

Harley shook their head. “If or when he evolves, his flower will smell like a rotting corpse and spew dangerous pollen everywhere, so I don’t think I’m allowed to let him evolve at all,” they said. “And if I do, I have to come up with a way of preventing the smell and pollen from affecting not just me, but everybody around me. If he’s happy the way he is, I’m not sure that’s even worth the trouble.” 

Ash hummed a little, apparently thinking. “Have you thought about teaching him Sweet Scent?” he asked, rubbing his chin. 

“Sweet Scent?” Harley echoed, not understanding right away. 

“Yeah, it’s a move he can use that not only smells amazing and sweet, but lures other Pokémon in and makes them easier to hit. I think it might cover up or cancel out the rotting flesh smell.” 

“That’s actually a really good idea,” Harley said, warmed by the fact this stranger cared enough about their Pokémon to help like this. “Thank you, seriously. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of that.”  
Ash shrugged. “It’s nothing, don’t worry about it. I’ll have to get back to you about the pollen issue, though, I’m not sure what you can do about that - yet.”

Harley hummed in agreement, reaching down to pet Patches gently. “As long as he’s happy, though, I don’t mind whether he evolves or not.” It would be awesome to have a mighty great Venusaur on their team, sure, but that honestly wasn’t important to them, not in the long run. 

“What about Chocolate? Do you know what you want her to evolve into?” Ash asked, opening back up the box of cookies. 

Harley laughed, blushing as Ash gave them a weird look. “I, um, I have no idea. All I know is that she wants to decide for herself, and hasn’t told me yet,” they explained, going on to tell him all about how they had decided on her name in the first place. He soon joined in with the laughing, saying that Chocolate was definitely ‘a lady after his own heart’. 

Before Patches could steal the rest of the cookies, he gave one to Pepsi, who nibbled quietly at it straight away and nodded to Chocolate. “I guess she would like one, then?” 

“Definitely,” Harley said, touched that he’d thought of her, too. Chocolate happily climbed across their lap to accept the cookie directly, showing her thanks by licking his hand. “She’s the opposite of Patches. She needs way more food.” 

“I can see,” he said sadly. “What happened to her?” 

“I’m not sure.” Harley was deeply pleased that he wasn’t assuming that they were the one who had starved her for once. “I adopted her from the rescue organisation too; and again they didn’t give me any details on her previous life. I don’t really mind, though, because it means I can totally focus on the future.” 

Ash smiled wide. “That’s really cool, actually,” he said, opening the box to get out one more cookie for her. He reach over to give it to her directly, but stopped himself. “May I?” 

“She really doesn’t like people touching her, I’m sorry,” they said quickly. “Let her come to you instead. We’re still working on it, little by little.” 

“Oh, of course,” Ash said immediately, pulling back with a smile. “Here.” 

Chocolate came back to get the second cookie appreciatively, butting her head against his hand briefly before retreating once more. Harley felt a bubble of pride rise up in their chest. Ash definitely seemed to know what he was doing - maybe he really could help them out. 

“So, uh, how long have you been with Pokémon? I mean, training them and stuff?” they asked, relaxing just the tiniest bit. Ash grinned, turning to face Harley even more and putting his arm on the back of the chair. He was really gearing up for a proper conversation, they realised. 

“I started when I was ten, like everybody else, but it feels like I’ve been with them forever,” he said, looking down at Pepsi incredibly fondly as he went back to grooming him. “That makes it about six and a half years, now. Pepsi has been my partner since the beginning.” 

“You two must be really close,” they replied, wishing they could do the same with Chocolate. They loved her deeply already, but they definitely longed for the closeness - and trust - these two already shared. 

“We sure are. I mean, we do still fall out occasionally, but he knows I’d do anything for him. Right, buddy?” he said, picking him up and giving him a kiss on the nose. Pepsi squeaked happily, climbing straight on top of Ash’s head and apparently settling down there. No wonder his hair was such a mess. 

“So where do you come from? Do you live in Sinnoh?” they asked, happy to keep the focus on him rather than themselves. 

Ash shook his head. Harley was impressed that Pepsi managed to stay on. “I was born here, but moved to Kanto when I was really little. Part of why I’m here is to try to find my family.” 

“Didn’t they move with you?” Harley asked, a little confused. 

“No, I was adopted,” he explained. “Whilst I love the people who raised me, I want to find out what happened to my birth parents.” 

Harley chewed the inside of their cheek. “I, uh, I’m sorry for prying,” they said, embarrassment taking root deep within them. 

“Honestly, don’t worry about it! I don’t find it sad at all, I don’t know why everybody else does,” he said sincerely, shrugging. “I think it’s more of an adventure. It’s exciting.” 

Harley couldn’t help but smile. They really admired his optimism - it was almost contagious. “Do you know where they are? Or even who they are?” 

Ash laughed a little sheepishly. “Unfortunately, no. My adoptive parents have no idea - they could only tell me the name of the care home I came from. I’m actually on my way there, but I’m stopping at most of the gyms I come across ‘cause I’m also challenging the league here whilst I’m at it.” 

Harley nodded. “Same here, though I only just started,” they said reaching over to put a hand on Patches’ back. Out of the corner of their eye, they could see him eyeing up another trainer across the room who was in the process of feeding their own Pokémon. “Have you got any badges yet?” 

“Yeah! I won the Coal Badge yesterday, from Roark,” he beamed, digging through his bag. He pulled out a shiny metal case, proudly showing Harley the singular badge within. “It was tough at first, but my Ivysaur - his name’s Jupiter, by the way - made it a hell of a lot easier.” 

Harley felt a little queasy, but did their best to hide it. They reminded themselves that Ash had been a trainer for six years - of course he would do better in a gym battle than someone who had only owned Pokémon for a week. Instead they tried to focus on the subject of Ash's Ivysaur, telling themself it was unfair of them to be that jealous of somebody else’s victory. “Jupiter? That's a cool name, I like it. It's cute.” 

Ash nodded, pleased. “I think all Bulbasaur and Ivysaur are really cute, fuck what anyone else says,” he said firmly, unable to keep the smile off his face. “Venusaur too. Then again, I think all Pokémon are amazing. Absolutely all of them.” Pepsi huffed, batting him in the face with a paw. “Except you, buddy. You’re clearly the best one ever,” he added, clearly just pandering to his ego. Satisfied, the little Pikachu settled back down in his nest of hair. Harley couldn’t help but smile again - Ash clearly loved his Pokémon (and everybody else’s) dearly. Nurse Joy had been right; he _was_ nice. 

“So, um, where are you headed now?” they asked, not actually caring about the answer because whatever it was, they were now automatically going there too. 

“Hearthome City,” he answered, leaning against the back of the sofa again. “That’s where the care home is. There’s also a gym there, but I’ve heard they only accept challengers with four badges, so I’ll need to do a little wandering elsewhere first.” 

Shit. How were they going to pull this one off? What possible reason could Harley have for going to Hearthome of their own? 

“Oh, nice! I’m actually going there too,” they said quickly, their mouth producing words without their permission. Fortunately, Ash replied before they could fumble a fake reason. 

“Really? We should go together, then! It’ll be great!” he said brightly, probably not even aware he had pretty much just saved both Harley’s dignity and their skin combined. “Travelling with just Pokémon can be fun, but it can be lonely, too. I hope you don’t mind me asking this.” 

Harley shook their head instantly. “No, not at all. I would love to go with you, honestly,” they said, desperately trying to hide just how relieved they were that he offered. “And I’m sure my Pokémon will agree, some company would be great.” 

“It’s settled then! I’ll meet you here tomorrow morning, at seven?” 

“Wait, hold on,” Harley stopped, smile dropping. “Seven in the morning?” 

“Yeah, is that okay?” Ash asked, brow furrowing in confusion. “Is it too early or something?” 

“Kinda, yeah.” They hated early mornings. They very, _very_ rarely got out of bed before eleven, let alone got up and ready for seven. That just seemed like torture. “Any chance we can make it midday?” 

Ash didn’t look so sure. “I mean, we can, but then we won’t be able to get to the next Pokémon Centre by sundown. We’ll have to camp. If that’s okay with you, I don’t mind so much, it’s just a little inconvenient if you don’t like sleeping rough.” 

Harley swallowed, raging a mental battle against themself as half tried to convince them not to be such a stick in the mud and just wake up early, and the other half told them it was okay to stand up for themself. For the first time, the latter half won. “I don’t mind camping,” they said, not really believing their own words but saying them anyway. “But only if you’re sure.” 

“I actually really like it,” Ash said a little sheepishly. “It makes this whole thing feel more wild, more free. But I really suck at cooking so if I only ever camped, I’d be living off of berries and snack bars alone and probably be super malnourished.” 

Harley picked up their bag and unzipped the top, revealing at least a couple of day’s worth of their own snack (chocolate) bars and ready-made sandwiches. “Same here, but as you can probably tell I love my food anyway,” they joked, gesturing at themself. Ash laughed a little, but seemed a little unsure of whether he was supposed to. 

“Don’t get me wrong, if you place a buffet in front of me I will eat all of it,” he said earnestly, beginning to put his belongings back in his bag. “I’ll just somehow burn it off within minutes and be hungry again. I guess that just comes from all the travelling.” 

Harley groaned. “Oh, don’t get me started. All this walking has made me more hungry than I thought I could ever be.” 

“I’m so glad you agree,” he replied, gently picking Pepsi up off of his head and holding him in his arms. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I think it’s nearly dinner time. You wanna come grab a slice of pizza or three? It’ll be nice to sit with someone who doesn’t mind me eating like a Pignite for once.” 

Harley smiled wide and genuinely, actually happy to spend more time with him - as opposed to dreading all social interaction like they had for their entire lives. “You know? I’d love to, Ash. I’m right behind you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pokémon get hurt in this chapter, but it's just regular battle hurt when you're way underprepared for a gym.
> 
> And no, this story does not have Ash Ketchum in it - not directly, at least ;)


	3. Sylvia’s Home for Hungry Children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harley somehow ends up in the middle of someone else's family drama.

In just one, short afternoon, Harley learnt a surprising amount from Ash. Numerous wild Pokémon attacked them, and the majority he chased off within minutes - a complete contrast to Harley’s experience. A good few passing trainers also challenged him to short battles - which again, he dealt with with speed and grace. It was clear he had been doing this for years, and that he had complete trust in his Pokémon and his Pokémon in him. Most of the time, Harley just kept one or two steps back from him and simply watched whatever he did. Given that he still thought they had been a trainer for five years too, if he saw them battle too much it would be painfully obvious how behind they were. They wanted to avoid that at all costs. For some very strange reason, Ash seemed to respect them, as both a fellow Pokémon fan and - dare they say it - a friend. 

Due to their late start that morning, the two of them had only managed to get through to the mouth of the cave that was supposed to lead them to the other side of Mt. Coronet, and from there to Hearthome City. Harley had no idea how Ash thought they would ever be able to get from city to city in one day - they were absolutely exhausted after one afternoon, and probably wouldn’t have made it as far as they did without his encouragement and pushing. _Then again,_ they reminded themself, _he’s never had a weight like you dragging him down before. He probably goes further than this with ease without you._

Harley shook their head, attempting to shake the thoughts away. From beside them, Chocolate looked up at them curiously, her tail swishing from side to side to keep her balance. She had taken up jumping from boulder to boulder as they all climbed their way up the rocky cliff path, presumably practising her agility seeing as she couldn’t battle, but by late evening she was just as exhausted as Harley had been from the beginning. 

Ash pretty much stormed ahead, Pepsi alternating between riding on his head, his shoulder and within his backpack. No matter how hard they tried, Harley just couldn’t seem to keep up with him - they were always at least a few metres behind, and at worst they had to send Chocolate ahead to let him know they had fallen too far back. It was embarrassing beyond belief for Harley, but for some reason, Ash always thought it was his fault. A glorious pink blush would spread across his cheeks as he apologised, laughing a little to help them feel at ease again. _“I’m sorry, I’m way too used to travelling alone,”_ he’d say, _“Please let me know if I’m going too fast again. I don’t mean to be rude or anything_.” It was almost unnerving how friendly he was - Harley didn’t think they had met someone so genuinely nice in years. They didn’t think he even realised how flustered he was making them. 

When they finally bedded down for the night, somewhere in the middle of the mountain, Harley was weak at the knees, the thighs, calves, back - every single bone and joint in their body seemed to ache. They slumped against a stone wall, small groans escaping their lips as they finally rested their feet. They were so stiff, they just knew that they physically weren’t going to be able to get up again any time soon. They absolutely dreaded sleeping on the cold, hard ground, but at least the weight would be off their toes. 

Ash still seemed raring to go, however - once he’d picked out the spot for them to set up camp, a little out the way of the main path but not so deep they were lost, he set down his bags and began stretching out all his limbs. Pepsi copied him movement for movement, directly by his side, despite having done almost no walking that day whatsoever. Harley watched them with a mixture of fascination and amusement - how the hell could they still have the energy left to do this? It was, however, incredibly cute. 

Once his apparent routine was finished, Ash sat down nearby, fishing through his bag for a sloppy sandwich he must have made that morning. He gave half to Pepsi and dug in, jam smearing across his cheek in his haste to get it down him. Harley knew they were staring, so they took out their own food moments later - coincidentally, another jam sandwich. Before Chocolate could scoff it down herself, they took out the pouch that held her prescription food and poured it into a small bowl for her. Unfortunately, they had long since run out of the free food from the shelter, and each pouch afterwards cost them an arm and a leg but they needed to keep this up until the tiny Eevee was finally healthy. They were running out of funds fast. Soon they would have to start battling other trainers for prize money, despite the risk that carried. 

“So Harley,” Ash piped up after a while, his mouth still partially full of food. “Did you have any Pokémon back home? Like, did your parents have any, I mean.” 

Harley went still. Ash probably thought this was a casual, innocuous question. Fortunately, they had months of practising stock answers in mind. “No, not really. My dad is a Pokémon trainer, but he’s rarely home. I think he’s somewhere in Kalos at the moment,” they said, a convincing smile plastered on their face. “I used to play with his Pokémon as a kid whenever he was home, all the time.” None of this was strictly a lie, but it wasn’t anywhere near accurate enough to be the actual truth. 

Ash accepted their word at face value, however. “Really? That’s pretty cool,” he said, wiping the jam off of his face with the back of his hand. “Neither of my adopted parents cared very much either way about them, but when they realised I loved them so much they were more than happy to support me. Sometimes I think they just wanted me out the house as soon as possible,” he laughed, ignoring how sad his words actually were. “Either way, I’m happy where I am right now. I may have driven them insane as a child, but I know they love me anyway.” 

Harley smiled, continuing to eat their sandwich silently. Chocolate finished her own food in mere seconds, as per usual, and began quickly begging both Ash and Harley for scraps. He was quick to give her some of his own food, much to her delight. He laid it down on a napkin a couple of feet away from both him and Pepsi and let her come to it at her own pace. At this rate, she was going to warm up to him in no time at all. 

Soon after dinner, the four of them settled down to sleep. They didn’t bother with tents seeing as they were inside a cave anyway, but the ground was way too cold and rough to get away without sleeping bag. Harley watched as Pepsi dove right into Ash’s arms, tucking himself deep down in the bag as it was zipped up, and only wished that Chocolate was comfortable enough to do the same with them. They settled down into their own sleeping bag and sighed softly, finding it difficult to get comfortable before finally settling on their back. Chocolate walked round in circles, also trying to find somewhere comfortable to lay down with very little success. She was shivering by the time she gave in, and Harley had to put their foot down at that. 

“Chocolate?” they whispered, getting her attention. “I know you don’t like being too close to me, but why don’t you go to sleep on top of me? I don’t move much in my sleep, and I’m bound to be more comfortable and warm than the floor.” 

The little Eevee looked at them somewhat sceptically, her tail swishing indecisively. Beside them, Ash and Pepsi both seemed fast asleep but they both knew at least Ash was listening. After an eternity of deliberation, Chocolate gave in and cautiously climbed on top of Harley’s chest. She kneaded the sleeping bag a little, doing her best to make it as comfortable as possible, before tucking her paws beneath her and resting her head. Instantly she relaxed, her ears drooping contentedly as she enjoyed the warmth Harley gave off. They fell asleep with a smile that night, pleased to have made a bit more headway with the stubborn little creature.

* 

Ash was uncharacteristically nervous as he came to stand outside the very same building he had lived the first few years of his life within. He remembered none of it, yet for some reason the atmosphere set him on edge.

Harley stood beside him, watching as his hands began to tremble. The building itself was fairly ordinary - the red bricks were worn but not crumbling, the roof covered in moss but not falling apart - there was nothing inherently worrying or scary about it whatsoever. In fact, it seemed fairly inviting - several of the windows had children’s stickers stuck on them, and in the driveway lay plastic toys and games that were clearly well loved. And yet, Ash wasn’t moving. 

The plan had been that they would split up at this point, as much as Harley feared the idea. They had known him for a total of, what, two days? It would be intrusive of them to follow him into such personal matters. They had already followed him through an entire mountain - an act which actually benefited him very little - and then held him back once on the other side by repeatedly needing snack breaks. By the time they had actually reached Hearthome City, it was far too late to visit the children’s home. The only reason they hadn’t split up already the morning after was because it happened to be on the way to the city’s Gym, which Harley had lied and told Ash they were going to challenge, so they were going to walk with him this far and then leave. Given the state he was in, though…  
“Do you want me to go in with you?” Harley asked softly, not wanting to make a scene. Ash turned to look at them, though, relief evident onhis face. 

“Fuck, yes,” he breathed, running a hand through his hair and further messing it up. He hadn’t even tried to brush it flat that morning anyway, as far as Harley could tell, but this was on a whole new level. They didn’t say a word, though - they were far too relieved themselves that he still wanted their company. 

“Are you sure? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” they said, double checking with him. He nodded, chewing his lip alarmingly hard. 

“Definitely.” 

The two of them walked inside together, Harley a step behind Ash all the way. Pepsi sat calmly on his shoulder, holding onto his hair for support. He occasionally reached over to give Ash’s cheek a small lick, reminding him that he was there for him as well. The moment they stepped through the double doors, a screaming hoard of children sprinted past them, chasing a Zigzagoon who was chasing a Dedenne. The two trainers had to flatten themselves against the wall to avoid being barrelled into. Shortly after them ran a very stressed young lady, her brown hair pulled back into a bun that was falling apart. She didn’t even notice Ash and Harley standing there. 

“I can picture you growing up here,” Harley quipped, shooting Ash a wry smile. “You must feel right at home again, huh?” 

Ash laughed, peering round the corner to see if anybody else was in sight - or if anybody else was going to run into them. “They sure seem to have a lot of energy, at the very least.” He stepped into the middle of the corridor. “Am I supposed to wait right here for something? Or do I go and find someone?” 

“Well, are they expecting you?” Harley asked, joining him particularly cautiously. They didn't want some messy kids knocking into them, or worse - chasing and hurting Chocolate, who looked just as afraid to be in here as a mouse in a snake’s tank. 

Ash shook his head. “I don’t think so,” he said scratching his cheek absently. “I tried calling them, but it went to voicemail every time. I can kinda see why, now.” 

Harley hummed in agreement, distracted by the noticeboard they were now looking at on the wall by the door. It was a display of all the children that had been fostered or adopted within the past few years - a fairly standard theme in a care home, they assumed, but it was interesting and heartwarming to see all the tiny, smiling faces. At the bottom of the board was a banner saying _Congratulations, we’ll miss you all!_

“Do you really not remember anybody from here?” they asked suddenly, turning to look back at Ash. 

“Huh?” 

“Didn’t you make any friends, or stay in contact with the staff?” 

“No, not really,” Ash shrugged, nearly knocking Pepsi off. “I was really little when I was adopted. Like three, or four or something. I always knew I was adopted by my parents but I guess I just never really thought about it too much before.” 

“So why now?” Harley asked before they could stop themself. They just couldn’t help but be curious. “What made you want to come all the way over here to find out about your birth parents?” 

Ash fidgeted a little. “I, um, I had a fight with my Mum, and, uh…” he trailed off, clearly not wanting to talk about this. Harley cringed. 

“I’m sorry,” they apologised immediately. “I didn’t mean to pry.” 

“Yes, you did,” Ash replied, “but that’s okay. I’d be curious too.” He smiled at them, but Harley still felt awful. They couldn’t dwell on that feeling too long as the children came running back at them mere moments later. They ducked back into the porch, shielding Chocolate with their body but Ash was more or less caught in the thick of it. The children and Pokémon were small enough to pass by either side and under his arms and legs, but lady from before crashed into him head on. The two of them just about managed to keep their balance, but all her momentum was lost and the kids ran away into the distance. There was no way she was going to catch them now, and she looked like she knew that. 

“Oh my lord, I am so sorry darling,” she said quickly, brushing the strands of wispy hair from her face. Her cheeks were flushed as pink as the Sylveon on her t-shirt, proudly displaying the name and slogan of the care home in bubbly writing. _Sylvia’s Home for Hungry Children, Intertwining Families since 1983._ “Those kids, they could keep going forever! I’ll have to leave it to the cook to catch them, now.” 

“It’s okay,” Ash replied quietly, looking at her in wonder. “I’m Ash- I mean, Sam. I lived here when I was little. And this is Harley, my friend,” he said, gesturing to them. They waved a little awkwardly. “I, uh, I’ve tried calling you, but it didn’t seem to go through.” 

“Of course, I remember you!” she beamed, touching her hand to hear heart. “My, how you’ve grown! I wonder why you couldn’t - oh, gosh, we had to change our phone number a while back. Prank callers, you see. We must have forgotten to update our website. Please forgive me,” she said, still a little out of breath. Ash didn’t seem to know what to do with that, so she continued. “How may I help you, Sam?” 

He swallowed, nerves threatening to choke him until Pepsi nuzzled against his cheek. This appeared to ground him, thankfully, so Harley didn’t have to step in. “Well, I was wondering if you could give me a little information. I want to find out about my birth parents. Where I came from, why they gave me up, that sort of thing,” he explained, fiddling with his hands. The lady smiled in response, but seemed a little wary. 

“I don’t want to undermine you, Sam, but are you sure? Sometimes these things are better left unknown.” 

Ash took a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m sure. The people who adopted me are my real parents, y’know? This won’t really change anything.” 

The lady - who Harley was just going to assume was Sylvia, given her lack of an introduction - nodded calmly. “Of course. Do you want Harley to join us? I can always find a quiet room if you want some privacy.” 

“I’m happy to leave you now, if you’re settled,” they added, lying blatantly. There was nothing they wanted less than to leave. Ash probably knew that at this point. 

He shook his head a little, smiling a little more confidently. “No, I want her to come in too, if that’s okay.” 

Harley chewed their lip uncomfortably, the pronoun rubbing them the wrong way but now was not the time to talk about that. Sylvia seemed blissfully unaware of this but Ash picked up on their mood surprisingly quickly. They must have been outwardly frowning, or clearly upset, because he couldn’t actually be psychic could he? 

“What? Did I say something wrong?” 

They somehow just about managed to keep their cool and wave their hand dismissively. “Whatever, don’t worry about it. No. I’m happy to come in if you are.” _Please realise that I don’t want to talk about this yet. Please please please please please._

Ash didn’t look any less confused, but at a glare from Chocolate he decided to let it drop for now. “Alright. We’ll follow you, then!” 

Sylvia smiled at the two of them, still oblivious, and led them down the corridor and into a little office. 

Ash sat down on the chair opposite the desk, leaving Harley to sit on the edge of the sofa against the back wall. Chocolate hopped up next to them but Pepsi stayed right by Ash, jumping down onto his lap and settling there. He petted him absently, comforted by his familiar texture and presence. The room smelled of a mixture of strong air freshener and bleach and mud; it scratched at the back of Harley’s throat but they did their best not to let it show. Sylvia sat down heavily in the creaky leather chair, flexing her fingers before typing in her password. Ash waited patiently as she got it wrong a couple of times. 

“These new-fangled computers, I’m always struggling to keep up with them,” she laughed, twisting the screen so Ash could see as well. He laughed along with her, but Harley could see as he wrung his hands in his lap he couldn’t be more anxious. “So, what do you want to know?” 

“Is Sam even my real name?” he joked, scratching Pepsi behind the ear. 

Sylvia chuckled, bringing up his page in the database. “It is, but Ashmore isn’t. Well, legally it is, but before you were adopted to the Ashmore family you were Samuel Smith.” 

“Huh,” Ash said, his eyebrows pinching together. “Samuel? That’s new, too.” 

“You don’t look like a Samuel,” Harley piped up, trying to lighten the mood along with him. He looked over to them and grinned. 

“I know, right? Yeah, no, I’m still gonna go by Ash, thanks,” he said smoothing his hands across his jeans. “What about my blood relatives? Who are they?” 

Sylvia clucked her tongue as she skimmed the page. Her brow furrowed and she turned the screen back to face her so she could see it better. Ash continued fiddling with his jeans. 

“From what I can remember, you unfortunately came from a neglect case, rather than a hand-over from teenage parents,” she said gently, not even looking at him as she spoke. He nodded, swallowing thickly. “You were under the care of your blood father at the time. According to this, your mother is unknown. This is probably due to multiple girlfriends, or…” 

“Yeah, I get it,” Ash interrupted, not really wanting to think about that. “So would you say it’s likely my dad got a girl pregnant and she left me with him?” 

“It’s very possible,” she replied, glancing at him over the top of the screen. “Are you planning on trying to find your parents, or are you just looking for information?” 

Ash shrugged, looking away. “I’m not sure. I was thinking about finding them, but I don’t know what I’d say.” 

Sylvia nodded solemnly. “That’s very common in situations like yours. We actually try to keep in children in contact with their birth families once they are taken away from them, but I’m afraid that wasn’t the case for you. Your father didn’t have a very healthy lifestyle, so to speak, so it was recommended that you have minimal contact with him during your critical years,” she said, then squinted at the screen. 

“What does it say?” 

Sylvia hesitated. “Even after you were removed from him - an event that can be highly difficult for most parents - your father didn’t want to change his attitude. He very quickly cut himself off from you completely.” 

“He didn’t want me,” Ash clarified. Despite being unable to see his face, Harley could hear he was upset. Their heart went out to him. 

“That’s why you were adopted, remember? Your adoptive parents actually _do_ want you - and love you, and support you. This guy may be related to you but that doesn’t actually mean anything,” they said firmly, hoping he would listen. 

“Harley’s right,” Sylvia said, reaching over to gently take Ash’s hand. “You were only a few months old when Child Protective Services got involved. Don’t blame yourself for any of this.” 

Ash’s shoulders relaxed a little. “True, but that doesn’t make it suck any less. But I mean, what did I expect?” he laughed a little, but it just made Harley’s heart hurt more. “So, do you have any contact information for him? Or would it be out of date?” 

Sylvia let go of his hand and went back to typing. “Well, there’s a phone number and address here, but it’s very likely that they’ll be dead ends. I can give them to you if you want, though.” 

Ash nodded. “Please,” he said, pausing for a moment. “Is there really absolutely nothing on my mother, though?” 

Sylvia gave him a sympathetic look. “Nothing at all, I’m afraid. All we know is that when the police arrived at his apartment, you were lying side-by-side in your own feces with your brother. Your father was in another room with his friends, smoking cannabis.” 

Ash went white. “Wait, brother? I have a brother?” 

Sylvia turned to face him. “You didn’t know?” 

Ash shook his head, eyes wide. “I- no. I had no idea. Do my parents know? Adoptive, I mean?” 

“They- they should know,” she replied, confused. “When they adopted you, we gave them his new family’s contact info, I don’t know why they wouldn’t have told you.” 

“Why weren’t we adopted together? I thought you guys were supposed to keep families together and stuff like that.” 

Sylvia tucked her hair behind her ears again. “He was adopted by a family who wanted only one child. We tried to convince them to take you as well, but another family - your current one - came forward saying they would take you instead. We were under the impression that they would keep in contact with one another, I - I don’t know why they didn’t,” she said, her expression filled with guilt. 

Ash dragged his hands down his face, sitting in all this information for a few moments. “What’s his name?” he asked quietly, his voice shaky. “Where is he now?” 

Sylvia went straight back to the computer. “His name’s David - coincidentally, he was adopted by someone with the same surname, so he is still legally David Smith. As far as we are aware, he’s still in Sinnoh. His new family run the Veilstone Academy, in Veilstone City. It’s very likely he’s still there, as this particular school discourages Pokémon Training before the age of eighteen.” 

Ash sat back in his seat, struggling to take all of this in. Harley sat on the edge of their seat silently, not wanting to take any more part in a conversation they had absolutely no place in. It was almost like watching a soap opera, but in real life it was terrifyingly stressful. They found themselves fiddling with anything in their hands, from flipping their phone over and over to turning PokéBalls around to picking at their fingernails. Chocolate was also watching the conversation intently, her ears pricked forward and nose twitching. She was significantly more composed than Harley. 

Ash blew out a puff of air, chewing on the inside of his cheek. 

“I guess I got what I came here for, huh?” he laughed, rubbing the back of his head. “I wanted information, and I got it.” 

“Are you okay, Sam? I understand this is an awful lot to take in,” Sylvia said gently, her voice strangely soothing. He smiled and nodded firmly, though. 

“Yeah, I’m good. I just - I just didn’t expect to find out I have a brother, you know?” He turned to Harley, the colour beginning to return to his cheeks. “I think I need to call my parents, find out their side of this story.” 

Harley gave them a thumbs up. “Do you wanna meet back up later, or…?” _Please say yes please say yes please say yes-_

“What? You don’t have to leave, don’t worry. I just meant that we should probably get out of Sylvia’s hair and go back to the Pokémon Centre,” he said, probably completely unaware of how relieved that made them. “You probably have enough on your plate already, right?” 

“Sam, you may not have lived here for over ten years, but you’re still a part of this family,” she said warmly, and Harley had to try not to laugh out loud at how cheesy that sounded. Ash wasn’t so subtle, but Sylvia didn’t mind. “Why don’t you two stay for lunch? I bet you haven’t had a proper home cooked meal in a while.” 

“Really? That would be fantastic, right Harley?” he grinned, standing up at the same time as Sylvia. Chocolate leapt off of the sofa and trotted over to Pepsi, nuzzling into his side and barking a soft greeting. 

“Oh, defintiely,” they replied, already imagining what sort of delicious meal they were about to have. On cue, their stomach grumbled with Ash’s following suit immediately after. 

Sylvia laughed, patting Ash’s shoulder before ruffling his hair like he were a child once more. “Come on, then, let’s get you all into the kitchen. I think Mr Albern is thinking of making a roast today – let's see if we can’t persuade him to make it extra special.”

* 

Ash had successfully maintained a calm, easy-going facade all the way throughout lunch with Sylvia and the kids - even going as far as playing with them all for a while - but when he got back to the Pokémon Centre that afternoon, that all shattered.

“What do you _mean_ you thought you were protecting me?! How the heck does not telling me I have a bloody _brother_ protect me?!” he shouted down the phone, pacing around the room angrily. Harley sat on their bed, scrolling through funny Pokémon pictures on their phone, trying hard not to draw attention to themself. Chocolate and Pepsi were sitting side by side on top of the dresser, watching the events unfold as Ash only grew madder and madder. 

“What else did you lie to me about, hm? Do I also have a secret twin? Or a fatal disease? What else don’t I know about that is actually really fucking important?” 

Harley couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation, but they were fairly certain he was getting reprimanded about his language right about now. 

“I’ll stop fucking swearing when you start fucking explaining, _Mum,_ ” he spat, running his hand through his hair yet again, pushing it out of his face only for it to instantly flop back. “I want to know everything you so conveniently left out of my life. Why do you think you were protecting me. Is David - my brother, if you didn’t know - is he alive, or sick, or in a bad place or what? Because you better start telling me, or so help me-” 

He cut off, presumably because his mum was interrupting him. He continued pacing around, huffing and puffing and sighing to himself. Harley glanced up from their phone, not actually concentrating on it whatsoever. Ash almost looked as if he was crying. 

“You knew I would find about him if I went to the care home, though. You knew this conversation would happen,” he said quietly, rubbing his nose. Harley could just about hear an inaudible mumble from the phone. They were tempted to leave and give him some privacy, but when they had offered earlier he had gestured for them to stay. 

Eventually, Ash calmed down enough to stop pacing - or maybe he just ran out of energy, but that seemed unlikely. He threw the phone onto his bed and looked up at the ceiling in exasperation, dragging his hands down his face. 

“She knew, Harley. She knew all this time,” he mumbled, shaking his head disbelievingly. 

“I gathered,” they replied, putting their own phone down. “Did she tell you what you wanted to know?” It wasn’t any of their business, but still. They were kind of involved in this now - well, emotionally invested, at least. 

Ash shrugged as he sat down heavily, the mattress springs squeaking. “She confirmed he was adopted before me, but his new family never returned any of their calls or letters. Since I was so young I wouldn’t remember him anyway, she apparently thought it would be less upsetting for me to not ever know about him if I was just going to be forcibly separated from him like that. She said it would hurt me more to know I could never see him than to never have him in the first place.” 

Harley winced. “I can… I can kind of see where she’s coming from,” they said, bracing themselves to be shouted at. Ash only shrugged again. 

“I mean, I guess, but it’s still wrong. She knows I’ve been travelling all this time, I could have gone and found him years ago. But she still didn’t tell me.” 

“Yeah, no, it sucks,” Harley agreed, flipping their phone over in their hands. “Are you going to go and find him now? Do you think he knows _he_ has a brother?” 

Ash let out a long, slow breath as he stared into space. “I have no idea. But I definitely want to meet him. I’ve got the contact information from Sylvia, but I have no idea how to approach this.” 

“We should do some research on the school first,” Harley suggested, turning their phone screen back on. “I mean, you’re mad about Pokémon and this place apparently hates people training before they're eighteen. If we’re not careful, his family will disapprove of you before you even get there. We should find out how strong their opinion is first.” 

Ash cringed a little. “Shit, I hadn’t thought of that,” he said, but then grinned. “But whatever, I’m sure they’ll love me soon enough! They love my brother, and we gotta be somewhat similar, right?” 

Harley smiled right back at him, relieved his energy had returned even if it did exhaust them personally. “Exactly! I’m sure it will be fine. I just think it would be a good idea to know what we’re- I mean you, are walking into.” They really needed to stop assuming they were just going to follow Ash wherever he went. Christ. 

“You’re welcome to come with, if you want,” he said quickly, picking up on their worries immediately. “That is, if you’re not already tired of the family freak show you just walked into.” His tone was light and joking but Harley couldn’t see how he wouldn’t be incredibly self conscious about all this. They laughed, but only because they felt they were supposed to right now. 

“If it’s okay with you, I would definitely like to stick around. It’s much nicer travelling with someone else than by myself,” they admitted, a teasing smile spreading across their face, “although you do tend to walk a little too fast for me.” It was meant as a joke, despite being very much the truth. 

Ash laughed. “Fair enough. I can’t say I don’t appreciate the company myself,” he said, but then he paused. “But, um, I have one condition.” 

Harley felt their stomach drop. They prayed to the heavens they could meet it. “Yeah?” 

“Yeah. What was that little freak-out earlier? Before we went into the office?” he said, genuinely confused. “The condition is, that you have to explain. I don’t want to upset you again or anything, but I don’t really understand.” 

Oh, boy. 

Harley looked down at their lap as they began to fiddle with the strings of their hoodie, their entire body tensing up with nerves. They had hoped this conversation would come much later down the line, when they could be completely sure Ash was their friend, and not just an acquaintance. Definitely not this soon, only a few days after they met. This was a make-or-break moment. They liked Ash, they didn’t want to lose him as a friend but if - if this went wrong, there was nothing they could do. Didn’t stop them from feeling nauseous, though. 

“I, uh… I don’t like to go by female pronouns,” they began, incredibly uncomfortable. “I’m _biologically_ a girl - like, I have a chest and all that, um, stuff, but…” They sighed, struggling to find the words. Ash waited patiently, giving this conversation his full attention. His eyes didn’t leave Harley and whilst it was nice of him to be so eager to understand them, his intensity was so off-putting it was making this even harder than it had to be. “I, uh, I don’t really feel like I am a girl. But I don’t feel like I should be a boy, either. I’m just… me.” 

Ash nodded, chewing over the information for a moment or two before shaking his head. “I’m still not sure I get it. You’re a girl, but you’re not a girl? But you’re not a boy either? Then what are you?” 

Harley swallowed and let out a huge breath. “Let’s put it this way. Say you have a line, and girl is at one end and boy is at the other,” they began, gesturing with their hands. Ash nodded, biting his lip in concentration. “Well, most people are born at either end, but some feel like they should swap ends. Others feel like they are somewhere in the middle, or a mix of the two. I feel like I’m separate from the line entirely. I’m neither. The line doesn’t apply to me.” At this point, Harley couldn’t have been more relived that Ash appeared to be ignorant rather than dismissive of this new information. They realised there might even be a chance that he was actually happy to learn this, and wasn’t going to just accuse them of being insane. Like _she_ had. 

Ash nodded slowly, looking up from Harley’s hands and at their face. “So, you’re neither girl nor boy nor both? You’re… you? Genderless? But, have the body - the biology - of a girl?” 

Harley nodded, their hands beginning to tremble. “Y-yeah. So, um, I prefer to be called ‘they’, or ‘them’, rather than ‘she’. If, uh, if that’s okay, I mean,” they said, their voice getting softer and softer. 

“Of course! Thank you for telling me,” Ash said surprisingly cheerily. “I had no idea this was a thing. I’m really sorry if I upset you earlier, seriously,” he added, completely sincerely. Harley felt all the tension rush out of their body, leaving them weak and exhausted. 

“Thank you for understanding,” they replied earnestly, tucking some stray hair behind their ear. “Some people, ah… they’re not so willing to accept it as a real thing. There are plenty of others like me, we’re really not that rare - it’s just…” 

“Some people are arseholes?” Ash supplied helpfully, stretching. “Yeah, tell me about it. If anybody gives you grief over something like this, just let me know, alright? I actually think it’s really cool. You’re like, the answer to every ancient prophecy that says shit like “no man nor woman can kill me”. It’s basically a superpower you’ve got there.” 

He sounded so serious that Harley couldn’t help but laugh. Ash grinned from ear to ear, standing up and grabbing his wallet out of his bag. “Now, I dunno about you, but I need to stock up on some supplies for my Pokémon. Wanna join me?” 

“Definitely,” Harley said, getting up too. The sudden return to a normal conversation almost gave them whiplash, but they couldn’t have been more grateful. As they passed him as he held the door open, they stopped for a moment. “Seriously, Ash. Thank you.” 

“It’s no problem. You’re my friend, right? I’ve got you.” 

He meant every word, Harley could feel it. They almost wanted to cry, but they held it together - Ash probably even realise how much this meant to them. Not that he would care if they actually did cry - he was apparently the type of friend - the _perfect_ type of friend - who would accept them no matter what. And they would be damned if they ever let him go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mentions of a past abusive parent, mentions/brief description of child neglect  
> Also an accidental forced coming-out, but he's supportive and helpful rather than rude.


	4. Welcome to Veilstone Academy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harley ignores their instincts and ends up back in school.
> 
> As usual, trigger warnings are in the notes at the end of the chapter, and may contain spoilers!

The duo got tired of scrolling through the school’s website really quickly. It was massive, boasting just over one thousand students, fifty different classrooms in five dedicated buildings and a central hall and cafeteria that was allegedly over four hundred years old. The photos of the arches and stage were stunning, Harley had to give it that - but the whole school just had a pretentious, snobbish air about it. Ash hadn’t said a word since they looked it up and that in itself was worrying.

If that wasn’t enough, the school’s ethos alone would have sent either trainer running a mile away. Sylvia had been putting it kindly when she said that it ‘highly discouraged Pokémon training under eighteen’ - in fact, it condemned Pokémon entirely, no matter what age you were. It referred to them as ‘dirty’, ‘abominations’ and ‘downright dangerous’ frequently, twisting Harley’s gut further and further into a horrendous knot. Pepsi and Chocolate had curled up on Ash’s bed together whilst their trainers had gone to the store, and were still fast asleep now they were back - how anyone could ever think of them as dangerous, Harley would never know.

The cherry on top of the cake was their acceptance policy. According to the website’s front page, the school valued ‘academia, scholarship and excellence in all fields of study’. 

“Well, that’s me out,” Harley joked, sitting back. Ash grunted a reply, still reading the text. Harley tilted their head. “What’re you looking for?”

“The admissions page,” he said, squinting at the tiny writing on the phone screen. “We’re gonna apply. They probably take people in early September. Since it’s still just about August, we have time.”

“Wait, what?”

Ash turned to face them. “There’s something fishy about this place. I’m not saying it’s sinister or anything, but I don’t like it.”

“So?” Harley replied, looking at him like he was mad. Which he probably was.

“So, I want to properly check it out. Not in a little visit that lasts one afternoon - I want to properly have a look round.”

“You want us both to apply to one of top schools in the region - one that hates Pokémon, to boot - on the basis of a funny feeling?” they said incredulously, folding their arms. “Dude, seriously?”

Ash glared at them. “You don’t have to come with me, you know.”

“Oh, I’m definitely coming. If I even have a chance of getting in,” Harley retorted, staring down at his phone in distaste. “I know they sound like a bunch of snobs, but that doesn’t make them automatically evil, Ash.”

“I know, but look,” he said, scrolling back up to the top. The screen was promptly filled with a slideshow of photos, presumably supposed to be a banner at the top of the page. Each one was filled with students, most straight-faced and concentrating and in a few they looked like they were downright sneering. The first picture of the set, however, had a picture of all the staff. In the middle stood an older man, with greying hair and deep-set wrinkles on his face. Beside him stood a tall, young man, who couldn’t have been much older than Harley and Ash themselves. He was the only person under thirty in the photo, and equally the only person with such a blank expression. The older man had a hand firmly on his shoulder. If they assumed that being bang in the middle of the picture made him the headmaster - aka, the person running the school - then…

“That must be David,” Ash said, pointing to him. “He doesn’t look too good, does he?”

Harley shrugged slowly. “I mean, maybe he was told not to smile…? That this was a formal photo?”

“Maybe, but I’m not convinced,” he continued, swiping to the left to get to a particular photo. “Here’s what I think is like, a biology lesson or something. Look at this.” He held up the phone to show them a picture of a science lab, where students were diligently working with some kind of equipment that involved Bunsen burners and petri dishes. Harley wasn’t quite sure what was so weird about this. Ash rolled his eyes, zooming in on the photo with two fingers. “Look closer.”

Harley squinted. The background, or anything further than maybe the third desk back, was exceedingly blurred and further pixelated by the tiny phone - but they could just about make out the shape of what appeared to be wire cages against the far wall, with some kind of mysterious creature inside. All they could actually see was a cream and brown blur, but if they tried, they could make out ears and a tail, maybe a nose too.

“I think they’re mistreating Pokémon in there. Experimenting on them at worst,” Ash said, disgusted. Harley sat back and scratched their jaw, still unconvinced.

“I dunno, this photo is kinda blurry,” they said, worried he was jumping to conclusions. Ash sighed loudly, clearly losing patience with them. 

“Harley, if you don’t want to come, then don’t. But I’m applying either way. Worst case scenario, they’re totally innocent and I just go back to the league again after a week or two.” 

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” they said, hugging themselves a little. Ash was really quite intense when he was being stubborn. “What if they find out you’re spying on them? Won’t that ruin any chance of a good relationship with your brother?” They kept going before he could reply. “And what if they are mistreating Pokémon? What are you - or _we_ \- even going to do about it? What if your brother is in on it? Do you really want to know?”

Ash clenched his jaw, turned to look at Harley and stared them down. “Then he’s not my brother. I’ll put the lives of Pokémon before an artificial relationship with someone I’ve never met, any day. Do you understand? Even if you’re happy to stand by and watch them get hurt, I’m going to help.”

Harley hugged themself a little harder, increasingly uncomfortable. He had no right to begin accusing them of not caring enough. “Yeah, I get it. Sorry.” It was a fake apology, and he probably knew that but Harley was getting more and more irritated with him. They were just trying to stop him from making any rash decisions.

Ash grunted, going back to the phone and clicking on every tab beneath the photo banner to continue his search for an admissions form. Every inch of Harley’s gut was telling them this was a bad idea, but they stamped it down. For now.

* 

“Welcome to Veilstone Academy. My name is Mr Smith; I’m the headmaster of this school. A prefect will be with you shortly to show you to your dorms, and give you a brief tour of the place. I hope your applications were accurate, otherwise you have an awful lot of work to catch up on.”

Harley and Ash nodded dutifully as a the headmaster led them through the front gates on the school grounds and up a gravel path to the main hall. They shot each other sideways glances, trying to convey their thoughts with mere looks. 

“Fortunately for you two, there are multiple transfer students this year. You are among the last to arrive. Two more will be joining you in the hall, and then your tour will start,” the man continued, opening the doors to the hall with his card and letting them in first. Harley shuffled on through, muttering their thanks to him. Ash was silent, although he did dip his head.

The inside of the hall was startling bare, compared to the photos they had seen on the Internet. There were no rows of chairs lined up, no music stands or instruments - absolutely nothing on the stage itself, with the exception of a small podium. Instead of having students’ work on the walls, there were a couple of ancient photographs and paintings, which from a distance Harley had no hope of making out. However at the back of the stage, spanning the entire height of the wall, hung the largest portrait they thought they had ever seen. It depicted a gnarly old man who strangely reminded Harley of a Granbull in a foul mood, sitting with a book on his lap in front of a desk.

“Who’s that?” Ash asked, voicing Harley’s exact thoughts. Mr Smith looked to where he was pointing and smiled thinly. 

“That is my great, great, great grandfather,” he said straightening his back further. “He is the founder of this school. He had the portrait commissioned to inspire all future students.”

Harley shot Ash another look, but he was too busy trying not to laugh too obviously. Fortunately for the both of them, Mr Smith didn’t notice, and continued to lead them to the stage, where a small group of people already stood. “You may wait here whilst I collect the remaining two new students,” he said, before turning swiftly and leaving. Harley chewed their lip, trying to stamp down their nerves in front of their new peers. Ash had no such worries and dove straight into introductions, happily shaking everybody’s hand and introducing the both of them. He seemed barely put off at all by their lack of a response.

Harley stood beside him awkwardly, trying not to meet anybody’s eyes. A door to the hall opened a few metres away - drawing everybody’s attention to it - and three students walked in, all dressed in the same, neat uniform. Ash tensed beside them and nudged their side gently. “Look,” he whispered, eyes locked onto the tallest boy. “I think that’s him.”

“Hi! Welcome to Veilstone Academy,” he said brightly, a charming smile playing on his lips. “My name’s David, and I’m the head of your welcome team. My job is to show you around campus today, before we each take a couple of you and get you kitted out with the correct uniform and stationary.”

“See, he _does_ smile,” Harley whispered out the corner of their mouth, nudging Ash back. He blew out a small puff of air in in acknowledgement, still staring at him. If David had heard, he didn’t let it show as he continued his sickeningly cheerful spiel about what a great time they were all going to have here together. Harley wasn’t so sure they believed any of it.

“Ah, Mr Smith! Are these the last two?” He turned around as the main doors opened again, smiling wide as the headmaster led two older teens across the hall. 

“Yes. This is Courtney and Chad. They’ve transferred here from Almia to complete their final year with us.” 

David extended a hand to the two of them, shaking theirs firmly. “I hope you have a great time over here. If you ever need anything, just let us know.”

“Will do, honey,” the girl drawled, her accent so thick Harley nearly missed what she said entirely.

“Woah, wasn’t expecting that,” Ash said, his mouth snapping shut as he realised he’d said that a little louder than he’d meant to. Fortunately, Courtney just laughed.

“I’ve lived almost all my life in the South, so unfortunately for y’all my way of speakin’ is gonna stick with me a lil’ while longer,” she said, definitely amused by him.

“Mm,” Mr Smith interrupted, looking down his nose at her. Whether this was intentionally disparaging or not Harley couldn’t say for sure, but they would bet their entire supply of chocolate it was. “In any case, I shall leave you to it. I expect to see you all first thing tomorrow morning in the correct classes.” With that, he turned and left the hall, leaving David and the two other students to give their tours.

“Right - I’ve already introduced myself, but this is Jamie, and this is William. If you split yourselves into three groups, we’ll take you on separate tours so we don’t clog the corridors,” David said, clapping his hands together to get their attention back on him. Harley quickly sidestepped closer to Ash; they would be damned if they were split up before they had to be. They were already very much aware that they were going to be put in completely different year groups due to their age difference (no matter how slight), let alone classes, and they were going to stick with him as long as possible. Predictably, Courtney and Chad seemed to stick somewhat together, and the other teenagers all seemed to drift towards whoever they’ve met first. It took a few moments, but they all sorted themselves into three roughly equal groups. Ash tried to get them both in David’s group by heading over to him almost immediately, which caused them to go with Courtney and Chad as well.

“Awesome. You four come with me, I’ll show you to the dorms first so you can drop off your bags. They’re separated by gender, so you two will be together-” he gestured to Harley and Courtney - “and you two. Normally your beds would be near your year group, but as you’re all transfer students you’ll be mixed around.” He continued explaining all these little details but honestly, Harley couldn’t have cared less, and they figured Ash didn’t either. He couldn’t look away from David, an expression of such wonder and familiarity on his face it was amazing he wasn’t unnerved by him yet. David left them all by a small reception desk at the bottom of an accommodation block whilst he went to go find where their key-cards were supposed to be.

“When should I tell him?” Ash asked Harley immediately, his voice hushed. This was none of Courtney or Chad’s business. Harley shrugged. _How should I know?_

“Maybe give it a few days, get to know him a little first? But not too long, otherwise he’ll feel lied to,” they suggested, honestly unsure whether their advice was good or bad at this point. Ash nodded, though, apparently taking their word for it. 

“I don’t like Mr Smith though, not one bit,” he said, even quieter. “He just seems mean, apart from anything else.”

“True, but David doesn’t seem that concerned,” they reminded him, glancing at the other two. They were talking to each other quietly as well, ignoring them completely. “Maybe he was just having a bad day when that photo was taken?”

“Maybe,” he said softly, but he clearly wasn’t convinced. He couldn’t continue his train of thought however as Courtney and Chad looked over at them, about to speak.

“Hey, so you two know our names, but what are yours?” Chad said warmly. Ash smiled, shoving his hands into his jeans pockets.

“I’m Sam, but you can call me Ash - and this is Harley,” he said, nodding to them. They gave a little wave but didn’t say anything. “Unfortunately we don’t come from anywhere exciting like you guys, though.”

“We grew up on a farm together, so I wouldn’t say life was _exciting,_ ” Courtney replied, putting an arm around Chad’s shoulders. “It was simple but a lot of fun.”

“I grew up on a farm, too,” Harley said, flushing when all eyes turned to them. For a second they didn’t say anything else, then realised they were all expecting them to elaborate. “Uh, in the Sevii Islands.”

“Really? That’s so cool!” Ash said, surprised. “I had no idea you came from somewhere interesting too. I guess I’m the only boring one, then,” he grinned, missing how Harley’s shoulders were curling inward a little. Having attention on them was the last thing they wanted. 

“So what made you guys wanna come here?” Courtney asked, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Harley was gonna leave this question to Ash, seeing as they could hardly tell them they were here to investigate Pokémon abuse and reunite long-lost brothers.

“The grades, mostly,” Ash said, lying perfectly smoothly. “I want to study biochemistry at university, and here seemed like the best place to go. I’m transferring only for the final two years because I only just convinced my parents to let me move here from Kanto.”

Harley had to admit they were impressed with how honest he sounded, to the point they were mad they hadn’t made up a backstory for themselves yet. “I’m pretty much just here because it’s the best school in the area, too,” they shrugged, not wanting to say anything more in case they screwed this up. Courtney didn’t seem to notice, fortunately.

“We’re both here ‘cause our parents moved as well,” Chad began, but was interrupted by a very flustered David returning with a set of ID cards. 

“Sorry for the wait, I got held up,” he said, handing them out quickly. His cheeks were flushed red but his hair strangely neat compared to before, looking like he had only just brushed it. Harley took theirs from him quietly, cringing internally when they were the only one to say thanks out loud. The smile David gave them in return eased the embarrassment only minimally.

“Once you have all put your bags away, meet me back down here and I’ll take you the main part of campus,” he said, leaning against the wall beside him and scratching the back of his head. “Do any of you have any questions so far?”

“Yeah, do we have a curfew, or quiet hours or anything?” Chad asked, picking up his bag from the floor. David nodded.

“Lights out is at ten o’clock, and you are expected to be quiet and respectful twenty-four-seven,” he said, that same overly-friendly smile on his face as before. “You’re only allowed in and out of dorms after eight in exceptional circumstances.”

Chad nodded, apparently accepting these rules straight away, but Ash sighed under his breath. “Do we get lockers, or a lock box or something?”

“Every student gets a locker, that’s correct. You’ll have to buy your own padlocks though from the student store. That reminds me, you’re forbidden from ordering items online unless approved by a member of staff, and only mail from family or approved senders are passed on to you. Anything and everything you’ll likely need can be bought on campus.”

“This is beginning to sound a bit like a prison to me,” Ash said, all his cheer and optimism fading. Harley had to agree with him.

“It’s not that bad when you get used to it,” David said a little too brightly, shrugging. “Anything else?”

“Do we all have to get up at the same time in the morning, or can we go at our own pace?” Harley said, their voice shaking ever so slightly. If David found their question strange at all he didn’t show it.

“Everybody is expected to be in class at nine on time, so everybody tends to get up at the same time anyway but sure, you can go at your own speed if you sleep through their noise. Anyway, let’s save the rest of your questions for later - we can’t be late for dinner tonight,” he said quickly, waving them along. “Sam and Chad, your dorm is on the first floor and on the left - Jennifer and Courtney, you’re on the right of the second floor.”

Harley’s blood ran cold. All three of the students turned to look at them - Ash incredulously, but the others just confused.

“I thought your name was Harley…?” Courtney said, voicing everybody’s thoughts. 

“Your- you- Jennifer?” Ash said, eyes wide. He was doing a brilliant job of hiding just how funny this was to him, but it wasn’t good enough. Harley just wanted to disappear. Or die. Preferably die.

“Please call me Harley, I hate- I hate that name,” they pretty much pleaded, feeling like they were about to vomit. Ash nodded.

“No, of course, I just - I never realised it wasn’t your real name,” he said gently. Harley was all but vocally begging him not to try to explain the situation to the rest of them, who still seemed confused. 

Courtney and Chad didn’t seem to actually care that much. “Yeah, sure, that’s fine by us,” Courtney said for the both of them, shrugging. David looked a little worried.

“You realise you’ll have a very tough time convincing the teachers here to use a nickname, right?” he said, apparently concerned. “And most of the students, for that matter.”

Harley thought they were going to be sick their stomach was twisting so badly. Every muscle in their body screamed at them to just turn and walk out of there. Instead they nodded, trying to play it cool but the trembling of their hands and voice were a dead giveaway. “I know, but I may as well try, right?”

David reached out to but a hand on their shoulder comfortingly, making Harley jump. “Don’t worry, I’ll try to let everybody know, too. If I can.”

“That’s- thank you,” Harley replied, honestly surprised. “That’s really kind of you.”

He shrugged noncommittally. “It’s nothing. Go on now, go, all of you,” he grinned, nudging them towards the door. Courtney grabbed Harley’s hand and pulled them towards the stairs. 

“I hope there’s a free bed near a window,” she said, opening the door for them. “I love nature, y’know?”

Harley sighed a little wistfully as they passed through. “Me too,” they admitted, shifting the weight of their bag on their shoulders. “I spent a lot of time outdoors before this. It’s gonna be weird.”

“Fuck, same here. I hope this isn’t the kind of school where as soon as it rains even a tiny bit, all gym classes are held indoors,” she said, climbing the stairs just a tad faster than Harley could keep up with. They were desperate not to show how out of breath they were getting but honestly, they were going to turn blue if they didn’t start panting properly soon. 

Once the reached the top of stairs Courtney finally paused. Harley closed the gap between them as fast as they could, shooting them a smile and trying to pass off that they were fine. Of course this girl just had to be the sporty type, didn’t she? 

Again, she held open the door for Harley. They mumbled their thanks, wheezing ever so slightly. Courtney patted them lightly on the shoulder. “Was I going too fast for you? I’m really sorry,” she said sincerely. Harley shook their head despite the fact she was spot on.

“No, I’m fine, don’t worry,” they said, tucking their hair behind their ear as she came to stand beside them. “Go on, you pick a bed first.”

“There’s not exactly many to choose from,” she replied, looking round the room. The ceiling was sloped, making the room seem smaller than it already was, with large dark beams reaching across from one end to the other. All the beds were perfectly made, almost professionally - the nightstands were almost all neat and orderly and not a single cupboard door had been left open. It was kind of eerie, to say the least. 

Courtney headed straight over to the last bunk bed. It wasn’t particularly close to a window, but at the very least it had a skylight above it. “Mind if I take the top bunk?”

“No, go ahead,” Harley said, waving their hand. They dumped their bag on the floor, surreptitiously sneaking their PokéBalls out the top before nudging it underneath the bed. They made a mental note to buy a padlock as soon as possible, as it was difficult to hide the balls in their pockets unnoticed but there was no way they were ever leaving them unattended like this.

“You ready to go back down?” Courtney said, slinging her own bag up onto the bunk with ease. Harley jumped, bashing their head on the underside of the bed above. “Shit, sorry. You alright there?”

“I’m fine, seriously,” Harley replied through gritted teeth. This day was just getting better and better. Luckily for them, Courtney decided against pursuing it. They headed back down the stairs together, this time a little slower. Ash and Chad were already there and waiting with David, chatting away like they’d known each other for ever. Ash had more or less returned to his animated, energetic self and was busy making the other two laugh when Harley and Courtney entered.

“Hey! What’s your room like? I hope it’s bigger than ours,” Ash said humorously, making Chad snort. Courtney chuckled dryly.

“You wish,” she said, stretching her arms out and emphasising how cramped the room felt. Harley couldn’t help but notice how her biceps visibly moved beneath her shirt. Damn. “When was this place built? The 1800s?”

“Almost. The school was founded and built in 1604, and this particular building in 1754 to celebrate its 150th anniversary,” David said, sounding just like an actual tour guide. “The more expensive, popular dormitories have the classic high ceilings you’re probably thinking of, but unfortunately they’re completely taken. Your dorms are free, but they do get the occasional leaks so be sure to report them to reception if you notice them.”

None of them seemed very impressed at this new information, so David moved on very quickly. “Now then, would you rather we go to the library or the Maths Block first? We also have the English Block, Science Block, Geography… of course, they all have their own fancy names, such as Cobble House, Voilaroc Close…”

_Boy, this was going to be a long day._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Agender character's deadname being revealed unwillingly, referred to as "real" name. Other characters are surprised but willing to use their preferred name.


	5. The Headmaster's Office

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **This chapter contains some very heavy themes. Please check the content warnings at the end of the chapter before reading.**   
>  ****
> 
>  
> 
> _Seriously. Please check them._  
> 
> 
>   
> 

The first three weeks passed excruciatingly slowly. Harley was exhausted by the end of the first lesson every day, let alone after the seventh. The day may have officially started at nine in the morning, but what David forgot to mention was that you were expected to be there by half eight - and whilst the last lesson was supposed to finish by seven, they frequently overran. To make it worse, Harley hated the subjects, hated the teachers and hated everyone around them. They’d tried to be friendly, they really did, but it was so _hard._

The first day or two, everybody was uncomfortably interested in their sudden presence; who they were, why they were here, where had they come from and so on. Whilst this level of attention made Harley uncomfortable and stressed at best, it was a little better than being absolutely and completely ignored. They quickly realised they had very little in common with the vast majority of their classmates. The only thing that made this whole experience bearable were the little snippets of time they could grab in between classes with Ash. He was still his constantly bouncy, lovable self - nothing seemed to be phasing him. Whenever they had free time together, whether it was at lunch or in the evening, they would sneak into the trees at the edge of the playing field and send out their Pokémon. They were absolutely forbidden here, and neither trainer wanted to find out what would happen if they were caught, so these times were few and far between but they were also the only thing that kept Harley going.

Chocolate, more often than not, was pissed off upon emerging from her PokéBall. Having spent so much of her life outside of one, she loathed being confined and let Harley know at every available opportunity. Pepsi was apparently very similar, but instead of showing his displeasure towards Ash he simply cuddled up to him even more, enjoying the little time he had with him. It was incredibly difficult keeping up with Chocolate’s medication and feeding routine, as well as Patches’ much-needed daily exercise - they were frequently late to classes, resulting in a lot of scolding (which were leading to detentions, or so Harley was promised), but to them this was infinitely more important. They just hoped they’d be done here before someone realised something was up.

Ash seemed to be dealing with all these adjustments much better than Harley, however. By sheer luck, he was in a lot of the same classes as David - and, using the excuse that he was the only friendly face he knew, had quickly become fast friends with him. When he wasn’t hanging out with his Pokémon, he hung out with David and his friend, Jamie, quite happily. Harley tagged along as often as they could, given their differing timetables, but both Ash and Jamie had such outgoing, energetic personalities it was very difficult to keep up. 

It turned out the David himself was quite different in person, when he wasn’t forcing on such a happy, welcoming persona. Like Harley, he barely said a word half the time, and was content to just watch the other two race each other round the athletics field barefoot just to see who was simply faster that way. David was still very calm and collected, though, unlike the mess of a person Harley was slowly unravelling into. He just seemed to have everything easily under control, no matter what.

On the third weekend the two trainers were at the school, a horrendous storm broke out above the city. There was no way either of them could come up with an excuse to go outside in such weather, so they were forced to forgo their usual routine of playing with their Pokémon in the woodland. Knowing Harley would only torture themselves with guilt, Ash decided for them that they should all hang out with David and Jamie again for the afternoon, this time in the common room.

Said common room was little more than a large room on the ground floor of the accommodation block with a single television, a pool table and a bunch of chairs and couches. Normally it was fairly empty, but due to the storm it was pretty much packed. There wasn’t a single seat free and two groups of people were already fighting over the television - they took one look at the room and turned around.

“Where do you wanna go, then? We can’t chill in our dorm because of Harley,” Jamie said irritably, folding his arms. Harley knew that this wasn’t their fault at all, but they still wanted to melt through the floor. “And we obviously can’t stay here. What do you suggest?”

Ash shrugged, but took a subtle step closer towards them, indicating he wasn’t going to leave them there. “I have no idea. You guys are the ones that have been here for, what, five or six years?” he said, taking his phone out of his pocket to make a point. “I mean, we could order in food, or go and explore town -” Jamie opened his mouth to say something, but Ash beat him to it. “- but we’re not allowed to do that, so, y’know. We’re kinda stuck here.”

“I think I know a place that’s likely to be quiet,” David said, biting his lip. “But you, ah, can’t go wild in there. I know you two,” he smiled, despite his scolding tone. “But you can’t start getting all competitive, otherwise we’ll be kicked out.”

“Where is it?” Harley asked, putting their hands in their hoodie pocket to fiddle with Chocolate’s PokéBall absently. They knew from experience he would just assume it was their phone.

David just grinned. “Follow me.”

* 

“Welcome to my home. Please wipe your feet before you come in,” David said proudly, unlocking the doors to the music room with glee. Harley stepped through first, followed closely by Ash. Jamie lagged behind, raising his eyebrows at David and almost refusing to come in.

“Are you serious? The music room?” he said, folding his arms. “We can’t do shit in here without getting into trouble since everything is so expensive.”

David closed the door behind him, rubbing his hands together. “What are you talking about? This is my favourite place in the entire school,” he said, affronted. “You’re lucky I’m letting you all in.”

“Yeah, since when did you get the key, anyway?” Jamie asked, pulling up a chair and sitting on it backwards. David smiled, tapping the side of his nose. 

“My dad finally gave it to me last week, as a reward, for, uh, my grades last year,” he said, pleased. “He kinda already knew I broke in here so much and decided it would save money on repairing locks to just give me the key, probably.”

Ash whistled. “Wow, who knew you were such a rebel?” he teased, heading straight for the drum kit. “Can we use the instruments, by the way? Or are they off limits?”

David winced a little as Ash sat down. “You probably shouldn’t use them unless you know how to, dude,” he said carefully, already anticipating the wall of noise he was going to produce. Harley shot him a look, and he backed off disappointedly. 

“How come your dad could give you the key? Does he work here or something?” they asked, sitting down on the piano stool. They knew full well who his father was, but as Ash was doing a terrible job of playing it cool they had taken it upon themselves to keep up the act that they were ordinary students here. 

David nodded, pushing his glasses up back up his nose. “Yeah, did I not tell you? He’s the headmaster here,” he said sheepishly. Jamie grinned mischievously.

“It’s fuckin’ awesome - David can get away with all kinds of shit,” he boasted, sitting up straighter. “Did you know he’s frequently late to classes but the teachers never give him hell for it? He also gets special privileges, _like getting a key to the music room.”_ He gestured around him to emphasise his point. David flushed a little.

“It’s quite not like that,” he assured them. “What Jamie fails to tell you is I do still get detentions for that all the time. And a lot of teachers are harsher on me because of my dad. And some people like to make fun of it.” He almost seemed ashamed of it; his voice grew quieter as he spoke and he stopped making eye contact. Ash quickly changed the subject.

“So, why’s this your favourite room? What makes this so special?” he asked, spinning a little on the chair just for the sake of it. David broke out his smile again and walked over to the piano. 

“May I?”

Harley stood up and offered him the seat, curious. “You can play the piano?” they asked, knowing it was a stupid question. Jamie rolled his eyes.

“Boy, can he. He’s been playing longer than I’ve known him,” he said surprisingly fondly. “Besides, why would he sit down at the piano if he couldn’t play, idiot?”

Harley glared at him, their cheeks on fire with embarrassment. Ash frowned but did little to stand up for them. David looked over his shoulder at everyone as he cracked his knuckles.

“Don’t be mean, Jamie. But yeah, I love the piano - it’s just so relaxing, y’know?”

“No, I don’t,” Jamie said, rolling his eyes yet again. “You know what is relaxing? Sleeping.”

David laughed, putting the random sheet music in front of him on top of the piano. “That too, I guess. Harley, Ash, do you have any requests?” he asked as he adjusted the creaky seat ever so slightly. “If I know the song, I can bash out a general piano part, but try to stick to songs that already have a good tune.”

Ash shrugged, looking over to Harley immediately. At first they froze, every single song they’d ever heard disappearing from their head. “I, uh, I dunno. Just play your favourite?” they said shyly, pushing their hair out of their face and backing up a little. They wanted to watch him play, sure, but not so close they invaded his personal space.

“That’s a tough choice,” David replied, clicking his tongue. “But, uh, you guys don’t have to stay quiet whilst I play. You can still chat and do stuff. Think of me as backing music.”

“Cool,” Jamie said, giving him the thumbs up before beckoning Ash over. He very reluctantly left the drum kit, although he probably knew that was for the best. David started playing quietly, his fingers flying across the notes faster than Harley could keep up. Jamie and Ash talked to each other quietly behind them, but they only had eyes for the piano. It was mesmerising.

“What is this? I think I recognise it,” Harley said quietly, hardly daring to talk at all.

“This chord sequence is used a lot in popular music, and is very predictable, so you’re probably recognising that rather than the melody itself,” David replied, his tone surprisingly humble when he had every right not to be. “I’ve been making it up as I go mostly.”

“Are you seriously just making this all up on the spot?”

David paused a little. “Sort of? I’m taking bits of a lot of things I know and mushing them together,” he mumbled, concentrating on playing rather than speaking eloquently. “I play a _lot_ so it’s really not that hard.”

“It’s beautiful,” Harley admitted, closing their eyes and just enjoying the sound. They were tempted to tell the other two to shut up, but they didn’t want to make David feel awkward. They pulled up a chair and sat down, happy to soak in the moment.

All too soon, David stopped playing and turned to join in the conversation. He didn’t finish the piece; he just suddenly turned around, leaving Harley hanging on the edge of an unresolved cadence. “Do you guys ever talk about anything other than sports?” he teased, shooting Jamie a rather unimpressed look. Something told Harley that this kind of conversation was common between them.

“It’s the only vaguely interesting thing to do here,” Ash defended, in the middle of flexing his muscles to Jamie who just laughed. David rolled his eyes.

“Honestly, here we are in the most beautiful place on campus, and you’re disinterested,” he continued, turning around fully and folding his arms. “I don’t know why I bother.”

“You don’t like sports?” Harley interjected, something not quite adding up. David was by no means a body builder, but they’d quite happily watched him run the track during his P.E. lessons. Just because the three boys weren’t in their class, it didn’t mean that they couldn’t watch them out the window whilst they sat through another dull maths lesson. David was _good._

“Yeah, no, if I could drop the subject I would,” he admitted, shrugging. “I just find it pointless.”

“David, we’ve had this conversation,” Jamie said with a grin, stretching out and knocking the edge of a cymbal with a clash. “You like making pretty sounds, I like having pretty muscles.”

“I know, I know,” he replied, shaking his head. “I can sort of see why you’d like it. I just prefer to spend my free time not getting sweaty and out of breath. Not to mention the _cramps.”_

“So how come you’re so good at them?” Harley asked, flushing red when everybody turned to look at them. They squirmed in their seat. “You, ah, you all have P.E. when I have maths. I can see you all from the window.”

David’s cheeks turned a little pink, but Ash and Jamie both just laughed. “Sounds like an excellent use of your time,” Ash said proudly, rolling up his sleeves. “Guys, we all gotta try extra hard in class now we know they’re watching!”

Harley thought they were going to die right then and there. Fortunately, David kept talking. 

“That’s one of the downsides of my dad being who he is,” he explained, taking off his glasses and wiping them. “I have a strict health routine he makes me do.”

Harley winced in sympathy for him. “Man, that sucks, I’m sorry.”

“Nah, I’m used to it. Don’t worry about it,” he replied, smiling at them reassuringly. “Does anyone know what the time is?”

Harley pulled their phone out of their pocket. “It’s just gone three,” they said, opening up the lock screen and forgetting their background was a photo of Chocolate.

“Is that your Pokémon?” David asked quietly, looking kinda worried. Harley swallowed, not even daring to look over to Ash for help lest they blow his cover, too.

“Well, yeah,” they admitted, a lump in their throat. “Her name’s Chocolate.”

“She’s really cute,” he said, giving them a small smile. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone you’ve got her. You should probably change your background, though.”

“I haven’t got her with me,” Harley said, a little too quickly and a little too loudly. Ash tried to glare at them without being obvious. David just narrowed his eyes.

“I didn’t say you did,” he said lowly. “Harley?”

Okay, now they really _were_ going to die. 

They swallowed hard, their voice shaking a little. “Please. Please don’t tell anyone. Please don’t. She’s not causing any trouble. I promise. Please don’t tell your dad, please,” they whispered, on the verge of freaking out. The room was devastatingly silent. 

“Woah woah, it’s okay,” David said, reaching over and putting his hands on their shoulders, grounding them. “Calm down, it’s alright. I’m not going to tell anyone. I just want to know why you’re here, in this school, if you’ve got Pokémon.”

For a moment, Harley genuinely thought they were going to completely blow their cover _and_ Ash’s. _Lie, Harley, just lie! You can do it, you’ve done it before!_

“It’s a good school,” they said shakily. “I need a good education to become proper Pokémon, er, researcher.”

David clearly wasn’t convinced, but thankfully he didn’t push it further. “Just- please change your background, I don’t want you to get in trouble,” he said, pulling back. “If I’m honest, I quite like Pokémon - maybe if things were different, I’d be a trainer. But I don’t have a choice about being here - the vast majority of people here _do_ , and so they choose to hate them.”

“I know,” Harley whispered, shoving their phone back into their pocket. “Thank you. Seriously.”

“Don’t mention it,” David replied, turning to face the others. “And you two - especially you, Jamie - I swear to god, if any of this leaves this room-”

“Chill, dude, I got you,” Jamie said, holding his hands up in innocence. “I’m not saying I like this secret, but I’ll respect it, okay?”

“Same here,” Ash piped up, strangely quiet. He surreptitiously rested his hand over his own pocket, where Harley knew he kept Pepsi’s ball. “I won’t say a word.”

“Good,” David confirmed, finally relaxing a little. Harley was stunned at how protective he’d suddenly been, but all traces of that had now vanished. “How about a little more music?”

* 

When a teacher came to find David a couple of hours later, Harley nearly had a heart attack. Their first thought was that somehow, someone had already found out about Chocolate and was here to confiscate her; the next was that they were all in trouble just for being in this room and were going to be punished. Fortunately, it was none of those things.

“David? Your dad wants to see you in his office, can you come with me?” A young lady poked her head around the door, having first politely knocked. David stood up immediately. 

“I’ll be right with you, Miss Garcia,” he said, weaving in and out of the chairs Jamie and Ash had somewhat assembled into a precarious fort. Whilst Harley was relieved that the lady couldn’t have cared less about the dangerous pileup of furniture, something about David’s posture made something seem a little off. Over the course of the afternoon, he’d really begun to relax - his smiles grew wider, his shoulders relaxed and he laughed harder. All this seemed to have just been wiped away in an instant.

“Are you in trouble?” they asked, standing up to follow him. David looked over at them, surprised. 

“What? No, nothing like that,” he said warmly, but his smile didn’t reach his eyes anymore. “I’ll be back for dinner. Save me a seat?”

“Of course,” they replied, confused, but David was already gone. Ash and Jamie were still in the middle of a heated debate about the structural integrity of their creation and didn’t really seem to have noticed the teacher at all. 

“Does this happen a lot?” they asked Jamie, when the two of them were finally quiet for more than a second.

“What?”

“Does David, like, get called to the head’s office a lot?” They repeated, scratching their cheek briefly. “I mean, I get he’s his dad, but this doesn’t feel like a family visit or anything. I dunno.”

“Oh, all the time,” Jamie replied, shrugging. “He’s a busy man - the only times they really do proper family stuff is in the holidays. David’s probably just going to chat about his week or whatever people do with their dads.”

“Fair enough,” Harley replied, letting them get back to their conversation. They were probably just projecting their own anxiety onto him, they reasoned, turning their phone back on to begin the task of changing their background to something a little less incriminating.

*

**!! CONTENT WARNING BELOW HERE !!**

Harley checked their phone one more time. It was quarter past eight; David was supposed to have joined them for dinner fifteen minutes ago, but his seat was as empty as Harley’s stomach.

“Where do you think he is?” They asked again, their knee bouncing beneath the table anxiously. Ash shrugged and grunted, his mouth full of food.

“He’s probably just having dinner with his dad for once, relax,” Jamie supplied helpfully. “Or is that unacceptable for you, princess?”

Harley’s skin crawled at the nickname. 

“Hey, chill out,” Ash said, swallowing a huge mouthful of potatoes down. “They’re just worried about him, is that such a bad thing?”

“He’s a grown-ass man, Ash, he doesn’t need her worrying about him.” 

The more Jamie spoke, the less Harley liked him. They couldn’t be bothered to correct the pronouns for the fiftieth time that day, however. Ash often supported them - which Harley was eternally grateful for - but they didn’t want to have to rely on him constantly like this. 

Dinner came and went, and still David was nowhere to be seen. Harley just couldn’t shake the unsettled, knotted feeling in their stomach. They had barely touched the main course, and dessert had been little more than an apple but they just didn’t feel hungry. They were beginning to wonder whether David was involved in the abuse of Pokémon; he didn’t seem like the kind of person to do that, but maybe he was being coerced?

“Hey Harley, do you wanna see if we can snag a spot in the common room?” Ash asked once they’d all finished, standing up and rubbing his stomach. Jamie burped behind him. 

“I’m gonna explore a bit, don’t worry,” they said, looking around. “You guys go ahead, I’ll catch you up.”

“You mean you’re gonna go look for David,” Jamie replied, sighing. “Honestly, what is it with you?”

Harley scowled at him, desperately trying to think of a witty reply but coming up short. “Whatever. I’ll see you guys later. Ash, I’ll let you know if I find anything interesting,” they said, shooting him a look. He nodded in understanding. 

“Cool. We’ll be in the common room if you need us, then,” he said patting them on the shoulder as they walked past. Harley took a deep breath and dragged a hand over their face. The sooner they could get out of this school the better. 

Fortunately, due to the school being the size it was, there were plenty of signs to point them towards the Headmaster’s office. They followed them diligently, knowing that even if David wasn’t there anymore they could hopefully ask where’d he’d gone, as long as they could work up the courage. As they turned the corner of the corridor and saw the office, their could feel their hands begin to shake again. What if they were interrupting something important?

Well, the worst they could do was give them a detention. That wasn’t so bad.

It took them a good few seconds to work up the courage to simply knock on the door. Typically, nobody answered - but they did discover that the door was unlocked and slightly open. It creaked as it swung inward a little. Curious, they pushed it open a little farther. Harley gulped, readying themselves for someone to come round the corner and yell at them, before stepping inside.

The room itself was very large and old; the right hand wall was taken over by a massive, oak bookcase that reached from the floor to the ceiling. The back wall was home to three, arched windows with deep windowsills and even more books. The last of the day’s light spilled in through the glass, landing squarely on a polished, wooden desk in the centre of the room. On one side there was a laptop, and the other was piled high with papers and files. The headmaster’s chair was clearly made of expensive leather, with a built-in ashtray in the right hand arm. Within this, there was a still-burning cigarette butt, slowly giving off wisps of smoke and occasionally glowing orange. The headmaster, and therefore probably David, must have been here very recently.

Harley chewed their lip nervously, looking behind them to see whether anyone was possibly going to catch them. The door had creaked shut on its own, leaving them alone in the room. Even if they didn’t find David here, this was probably a treasure trove of information on any Pokémon that entered campus. They were about to sneak round the back of the desk to have a snoop through the drawers when they realised they could hear a voice through a previously unnoticed door on the left. 

“Good boy, keep going…”

Harley tiptoed over to the door, wondering whether they should knock. Was there a Pokémon in there? What were they doing? 

“Yeah, just like that. That’s perfect, David, well done.”

_What the…?_

Before Harley could stop themselves they were pushing open the door and peeking round. Inside this much-smaller room was not only David and his father, but three other men, all in various states of undress. David was kneeling on the floor beside a table, his hands loosely tied behind his bare back with a necktie; his father holding his head way too close to his groin. All heads turned to the doorway where Harley stood rooted to the spot, the colour draining from their face. All except David.

“The fuck-”

The moment those words broke the stunned silence, Harley tried to run. By the time they’d gotten half way across the office, one of the men had caught up with ease and grabbed their arm. They tried to tear themselves away, but they weren’t nearly strong enough. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please don’t hurt me, please just let me go-!” Harley begged, their heart thumping in their throat. The man ignored them and dragged them back into the room, shutting the door behind them and standing in front of it. Harley trembled before the others, wringing their hands in front of them and trying not to cry. David was still kneeling on the floor, but now he was facing them, his eyes filled with sadness and shame. When their eyes met, he looked away and didn’t move again. He didn’t say a word.

The headmaster - David’s _father_ \- stepped calmly toward them and strapped his belt back up. The other men in the room - who Harley was beginning to recognise as _other teachers_ \- looked to him for direction, all waiting for him to speak. Harley thought that if they didn’t throw up first, they were going to pass out any moment from fear alone.

“I’m sure that telling you you’re in a lot of trouble for entering my office unauthorised is pointless right now,” he said, his voice scarily even and calm. The smell of expensive aftershave and sweat and sex seared Harley’s nose, scratching at their throat and making their eyes water. Their heart was beating so hard it was a minor miracle that nobody could see it pressing against their skin. 

“I’m going to ask you a series of questions and I expect you to respond immediately and honestly. Can you do that?” He continued, standing squarely before them. Harley knew their voice wasn’t going to work, so they simply nodded. 

“Good,” he murmured, reaching out and gently cupping Harley’s chin with his fingers. They sucked in a small breath, their eyes stinging as they began to cry. “Why are you here?”

“I- I was looking for D-David,” they whispered, unable to tear their eyes away from the headmaster. “H-he wasn’t at d-d-dinner, so- so I was, uh, I was getting worried. About him. I m-mean.”

Mr Smith’s eyes narrowed and he turned to look at his son. David was looking at Harley again now, surprised, but when the head turned he dropped his gaze once more. “Did you know she was going to come for you?” he asked.

David shook his head slowly. Even from this distance, Harley could see his shoulders shaking. Mr Smith sighed, rubbing jaw as he walked back over to the table. On top was an unlabelled bottle of a clear liquid, of which he poured a little into an engraved whisky glass. 

“Did you tell him you’d look for him?” he asked as he poured. Harley shook their head as well, backing up a little. Instead of bumping into the wall, they came into contact with one of the teachers. He huffed a small laugh as they sprang forward once more.

“I didn’t hear you,” Mr Smith said, swirling the drink in the glass. “Speak up.”

“No,” Harley squeaked, beginning to play with the hem of their jumper. “H-he said to save him a seat for dinner, and when he d-d-didn’t come, I…”

Harley gasped, their hand flying to their mouth as Mr Smith suddenly turned and slapped David with the back of his hand. They didn’t see it happen, it was too fast - but the _noise._

David hunched his shoulders slightly but did not look up and he did not make a sound. Harley stifled a sob.

“Well, this is a fine mess you’ve made, isn’t it?” He spat at him, nudging him with his shoe. Still, David didn’t move. “What do you propose we do now, then?”

“It wasn’t his fault,” Harley interrupted, their voice shaking. “He didn’t ask me to come, he told me not to follow, I’m so sorry-”

“Was I talking to you?” Mr Smith warned, gesturing to the teacher blocking the door. He clamped a hand down on Harley’s shoulder before forcing them to the ground. Harley covered their mouth with both their hands doing their best to smother their whimpers.

“Well, David?” He continued, folding his arms. “Any ideas?”

David didn’t respond. He continued to kneel submissively, refusing to look up. Mr Smith walked around him in a loose circle, drink in hand. 

“We can’t just let her go, you know,” he said, looking out the window. “She’s seen too much. We can’t have her going and blabbing to the police, now, can we?” He took a sip of the drink. “I could always force her silence. It’s been a long time since I’ve fucked a mouth like hers, hasn’t it?”

“No,” David interjected, his head whipping around to look at his father. “Don’t you _dare_ touch her.”

Mr Smith just laughed. “I’ll do what I bloody well please, thank you,” he said, looking over to Harley as he sipped at the drink again. Harley didn’t dare to even breathe. “But no, I don’t think I’ll do that. I don’t think that’s the most effective way of dealing with this… _problem.”_

He downed the rest of the drink in one go, dabbing at the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief. In just a couple of steps he closed the distance between them again, before crouching down and lifting up their chin with his forefinger. Harley’s hands fell away from their face, fighting the urge to hit him. 

“I want you to know that there are more of us than those you see in this room. If you breathe a word of this to anyone, and I mean _anyone,_ word will get back to me, and it won’t be me that suffers for it.” He didn’t even need to say his name to let Harley know who he was talking about. “Even if the four of us in here are sent to prison, the others will pick up where I left off. He cannot and will not escape. You will just make it worse for him. Do you understand?”

Harley nodded several times, squeezing their eyes shut and biting down hard on their lip. 

“I can’t hear you.”

“I understand.”

“Look at me,” he whispered. Harley’s vision was blurred with tears, but they focused on the head teacher as best they could. “Good girl.”

As he stood back up again Harley let out a shaky breath, rubbing at their eyes with the back of their hands. The teacher let them stagger upright and they backed up against the wall.

“I’m done for today,” Mr Smith announced, pulling the necktie from David’s wrists. “Go back to your room. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you,” David whispered, standing back up and grabbing his shirt from the table. He pulled it on as he walked over to Harley. He put a hand on their back and guided them back out the door, out of the office and into the corridor. 

Harley couldn’t look him in the eye the entire walk back to the dormitories. The two of them paused at the bottom of the stairs, both knowing that something needed to be said.

“Harley,” he began, his voice small and tired. 

“I’m so, so sorry,” they replied. “I shouldn’t have - I shouldn’t-”

He interrupted them by putting his hand on their shoulder. “Don’t be.”

“I-I don’t understand,” they said, tears filling in the corner of their eyes again, but they wouldn’t let themselves cry. They had no right to, compared to…

David sighed softly.“I’m the one that should be sorry. That you had to see that,” he whispered, running a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry you’ve now got to bear this secret too. This shouldn’t have happened, and I’m sorry.”

“David, no,” Harley said, dislodging his hand from their shoulder. “You- you-” they couldn’t form their thoughts properly, they still weren’t processing everything properly. “Don’t you _dare_ blame yourself for any of this.”

David smiled gently, before pulling Harley into a tight hug. They could hear his heart thumping in his chest as he cradled their head, his shaky breaths as he struggled to remain in control. Harley hugged him back as hard as they dared. They wanted to squeeze him tight and press into him with all their strength, but they were afraid of upsetting him somehow. 

“You don’t - you don’t think less of me?” 

His question broke Harley’s heart even further. They hugged him harder.

“Of course not,” they whispered, closing their eyes. “I think you are braver than I ever could have imagined.”

David didn’t reply at first. Harley would hold him for as long as he needed to be held.

“I was so scared,” he then admitted quietly, clinging to them. “I thought he was going to- to hurt you too.”

Harley swallowed. “Does he - do they - do they do that often?”

David went silent again. After a few excruciatingly tense seconds Harley was about to apologise for overstepping a boundary when he spoke. “Whenever they can,” he whispered. “Sometimes a few times a day, sometimes only once.”

Harley didn’t have the words. There was nothing they could say at all.

“It’s okay, though,” David continued, pulling away slightly. “It’s only me. I’d rather that.”

“We’re going to help you.” Harley had no idea when they were going to tell Ash about this, but they could not just stand by and do _nothing._ How could David still say stuff like this, after everything? “We’re going to get you away from here. We have to.”

“Didn’t you hear what he said…? It’s better to just leave it. Please.”

Harley shook their head. “I can’t. I can’t, David, I can’t.” Their breathing began to speed up. They were dangerously close to hyperventilating. 

David grabbed their shoulders hard, forcing them to look him in the eye. “Harley, you _have to._ Promise me you won’t tell anybody. Promise me.”

“David-”

“ _Promise me._ ” His voice cracked. “You have to keep this a secret. If they don’t have me, they’ll take some poor other soul and ruin them too. You can’t tell _anybody,_ not the police, not Jamie, not Ash.”

Harley found themselves nodding. They wiped at their eyes again, looking down at the ground between their feet. “I promise.”

David relaxed slightly, stepping back and sighing. “We’ll talk more tomorrow, okay? You should go to bed,” he said softly, walking away. “Goodnight, Harley.”

By the time they found their voice again to respond, he was already gone.

* 

“Hey, y'all feeling alright?”

Courtney was as loud as ever as she literally jumped into bed a couple of hours later. Harley rolled over so she couldn’t see how puffy their eyes were. This had very little effect as she immediately poked her head over the side of her bed, her pigtails swinging as they dangled either side of her head. Being upside-down seemed to have absolutely no impact on her whatsoever. 

“If you’re feeling unwell, I got some painkillers you can have,” she said a little quieter, sliding a little further down. “Or if you’ve had a shitty day, we can talk.”

“Weren’t you in detention all day?” Harley grumbled, pulling the covers up to their nose. They hoped the lighting was poor enough to hide their face further.

Courtney grinned. “Cleaning duty, yeah. It’s surprisingly fun.”

Harley groaned and rolled over again. “I’m just tired, okay?”

Courtney swung herself back up onto the bed and peered round the other side, apparently not quite getting the hint. “Are you sure? According to the others you’ve been in bed since you got back from dinner, which you didn’t even eat apparently.”

Harley closed their eyes tight. “Look, I know you mean well, but I promise you I’m just really bloody tired.”

“Well, if you’re sure,” Courtney shrugged, the movement making her slip further off the bed. With a small squeak and a thud, she fell right off the bunk and landed in a heap on the floor. Harley opened one eye to check she was okay - which of course, she was. Around them the other girls laughed, the noise grating against Harley’s ears. How could they be so happy when such terrible things were going on behind the closed doors?

“Goodnight then, Harl,” she said as she bounced right back into her bed, the springs creaking above them. “Sweet dreams.”

Those words left a bitter taste in Harley’s mouth. Now they wished they’d grabbed a glass of water before getting settled, despite knowing they weren’t going to sleep a wink that night. “Night, Courtney. You too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW:  
> \- Physical & sexual abuse from a parent and other authority figures, witnessed by another character  
> \- Who is then threatened with abuse, too  
> \- The abuse is described vaguely; no pornographic details but strong language and some imagery is used  
> \- Intentional misgendering of an agender character, as well as unwitting.


	6. Broken Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The emotional fallout from the previous day hits Harley hard. Ash doesn't fare much better.
> 
> Content Warnings at the end.

Harley did their very best to keep their word, but Ash sure didn’t make it easy.

He could tell something was off immediately. Harley didn’t touch their breakfast at all the next morning, and wouldn’t say a word either. Whenever he asked them what was up, they tried to tell him they were just really tired, but he wasn’t buying it in the slightest. At lunchtime, instead of walking to the dining hall together Ash took them aside. David shot them a look over his shoulder, reminding them of their promise.

“Alright, something is up,” he declared, folding his arms. Harley looked away.

“Ash-”

“I’m not mad,” he interrupted, “if you’ve got secrets. Hell, we all do. But you’ve been acting funny ever since David left yesterday, and I’m worried.”

Harley rubbed their arm awkwardly. “I’m sorry,” they began softly, not sure where they were going with that apology but Ash interrupted them yet again.

“Enough with the apologies! You don’t need to be sorry for every little thing ever, Harley, just fucking talk to me!”

For a second, Harley was silent. Then they burst out in tears.

Immediately Ash softened, his face lighting up in surprise. “Oh no no no, please don’t cry, fuck,” he murmured, taking their hand and pulling them into an empty classroom so they were out of sight from the general masses. When he let go, Harley pressed the heel of their palms into their eyes, trying to stem the flow but they’d held it in so long it was simply an unstoppable force. Ash stood there uselessly for a few moments, unsure what to do. 

“I’m so sorry for shouting, Harley, please stop crying,” he whispered earnestly. “It’s okay, honestly. I’m not mad. Just-” He sighed, running a hand through his hair stressfully. “Do- do you want a hug, or something?”

Harley nodded, biting down on their lip hard. As soon as Ash opened his arms, they were home.

He held them close and patiently as they sobbed into his shoulder, their shoulders shaking and their chest heaving. People walking by the classroom stared at them curiously, but with a few glares they quickly moved along. Ash held them until they had cried themselves out.

“What is it, Harley? What’s wrong?” he said softly, rubbing their back as they pulled away. Harley sniffed and wiped their nose on the back of their hand.

“I- I can’t tell you,” they whispered, their voice hoarse and strained. This only increased his concern.

“Has somebody hurt you? Has- has somebody threatened you? Has _David?”_

Harley barked out a laugh, but there was nothing even remotely happy about it. “ _I’m_ fine,” they stressed. “I just - he made me promise not to tell anyone, otherwise it would make everything worse.”

“Harley, please. You can tell _me.”_

“Ash…”

“Does it involve Pokémon? Is it worse than we thought?”

“What? No. It doesn’t involve Pokémon at all.” That much at least was a relief.

“Who made you promise? David?”

“I- sort of. Yes.”

Ash dragged a hand over his face. “Sort of? Harley, we’re in this together. We came her together and we’ll deal with this, _together._ But you have to talk to me.”

“Except I can’t,” they repeated, their face twisting in pain. “I wish I could, I really do, but I can’t risk making it worse for him-”

“Him?” Ash echoed. “Who? David? Is _he_ in trouble?”

Harley didn’t want to lie to him, but they didn’t trust their mouth, either. Their silence was telling.

Ash lowered his voice again. “Harley…”

“The walls have ears, Ash. I can’t tell you here,” they said softly, sniffing and wiping their nose again.

“Then tell me tonight,” he pleaded. “I can’t just forget about this. You’re a mess. Something is _wrong._ ”

Harley thought for a moment. It was too late to back out now, though. “O-okay. Tonight.”

Ash visibly relaxed. “Thank you,” he whispered, pulling them back in for a quick hug. “I promise you, I’ll help you fix this. It’s all gonna be okay.”

“I hope so,” they said softly, hiding their face in his shoulder again. “I hope so.”

* 

At dinner that night, another teacher came to collect David. He didn’t look back as he was led out of the hall.

Harley immediately put their fork down, their already small appetite completely lost. They stood up, their chair scraping against the floor. Ash looked up at them, confused.

“We gotta go. Right now.”

“Right now-?” he questioned, looking back at his food. Jamie watched the two of them silently, his mouth full of vegetables. 

“Yes, _now,_ ” Harley mumbled, grabbing the back of his shirt and tugging. He quickly shovelled another potato into his mouth before getting up, his expression filled with concern. 

“Where are you going?” Jamie asked, setting his cutlery down.

“I just remembered I, uh, left my phone in a classroom,” Harley lied waiting impatiently for Ash to tuck his chair in. 

“And Ash needs to go with you because…?”

“They don’t want to go alone,” he replied, giving him a smile. “You know how girls are.”

Jamie snorted, waving his hand at them. “Fine. See you tomorrow, Ash.”

Harley had already started walking away. “Have a good one,” Ash replied over his shoulder, trying to keep up with them.

Harley didn’t slow down until they were at the edge of the playing fields again. They started pacing back and forth, wondering where they were even supposed to begin. Ash shivered a little as he put his hands in his pockets, despite the September evening being clear and sunny.

“I’m sorry for referring to you as a girl,” he suddenly said, just looking to fill the silence. “It’s just - Jamie - and I didn’t know what to say-”

“I don’t care about that,” Harley snapped, the lump in their throat distorting their voice. Ash shut up and waited for them to continue, but he was highly impatient at the best of times. They took a deep breath and sighed. “David - he’s being hurt.”

Ash’s eyes widened. “By who?”

“A lot of people. His dad, some of the teachers…” they confessed, their voice getting quieter and quieter. “Yesterday I walked in on them, ah…”

“His _dad?_ ” Ash repeated way too loud. Harley glared at him and he shrunk back. “His dad beats him? Why?”

“Do paedophiles ever need a reason?” Harley whispered, unable to make eye contact. Ash took a second to process what they said.

“Wait. Paedophiles? He’s getting raped?”

“Shut _up,_ ” Harley insisted, looking around but thankfully they were still alone. “Yes. He is. And I saw it.”

“Oh, fuck,” Ash mumbled, putting his face in his hands and leaning against a tree. “A lot of people?”

Harley nodded, on the verge of tears again. “T-that’s why I shouldn’t be telling you. I saw three of them but apparently a good few of the teachers are involved.”

Ash slumped to the ground. “They’ll hurt him worse if they find out you told anyone, right? Including the police?”

“Right. Exactly.”

Ash closed his eyes. Harley resumed pacing. 

“This is fucked up,” he muttered, staring off into space. “We can’t - we can’t ignore this.”

Harley desperately tried not to think of what was probably happening to David at that exact moment. “We have to.”

“We _can’t,_ ” Ash insisted, looking up at them. Harley realised he was crying, too. “He’s my brother, Harley. I can’t leave here knowing he’s going through this. We have to tell the police. They’ll come and arrest everyone and - and get him out - get him safe -”

“Like they would even believe us! We are two _children_ to them - and this school is one of the best in the country! We’d need hard evidence, concrete proof, something other than the word of a stupid, fat teenager!” Harley blurted, tears falling down their cheeks again. Ash stood up and grabbed them by the shoulders. 

“Don’t you talk about yourself that way,” he demanded, forcing them to look at him again. “We’ll get proof. Somehow.”

Harley pushed his hands away. “How? Do you expect me to just walk into the office and ask him if I can record them? How well do you think that will go down?”

“Let me _think,_ ” he grumbled, turning away and running his hand through his hair. “There’s got to be a way. There’s got to.”

“Even if we can get proof that Mr Smith is involved, how are we going to get proof everybody? They’re cockroaches, Ash. We remove one or two of them and there are ten more to take their place.”

“We’ll get David out of the school entirely, okay? He can come with us. Train Pokémon. He said himself that he’d like to.”

“And just throw away all the years he’s spent on his education here?”

“If you have a better idea, just let me know, alright?” Ash shouted, his patience lost. Harley shrank back. 

“Believe me, Sam, I spent all night thinking about this! I haven’t slept, I haven’t eaten - I have thought and thought and thought about what we could possibly do! But they’re bloody experts at this, they know exactly what they’re doing and how to stop him from leaving!” Harley spat back, still trying to keep their voice down. There were very few people on the playing field this evening, but they were still attracting unwanted attention. 

“Well then maybe, _Jennifer,_ you aren’t thinking hard enough!”

Harley felt like they had just been slapped. Apparently this was evident on their face, as Ash immediately looked away, his expression the epitome of guilt. He knew there was a difference between a nickname and a preferred name, but he still...

“Harley-”

“No, you’re right. I’m clearly not thinking hard enough,” they said, wiping at their eyes and cheeks. “I shouldn’t have told you. It really has just made everything worse. Now all you have to do is tell someone else, and I’ll have completely ruined his life.”

“Please-”

Harley shook their head, starting to walk away. “I’m going to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Ash watched them leave, his stomach churning. He didn’t try to follow them.

* 

Harley held their head high as they all but ran back to the dormitories. They knew people were staring at them, but they carried on, knowing their eyes were puffy and their cheeks red.

The second they reached their bed, they crumbled. They didn’t bother changing into their nightwear - it was almost too much effort just to take their shoes and jeans off. They smothered their face in their pillow, but nothing was going to cover up their sobs this time. They could feel snot and tears and spit smearing against the thin fabric; their chest heaved and they gasped for air. The more they tried to force themselves to stop, the worse it got.

_How **dare** you cry like this? You have no reason to. He has **every** reason, but do you see him embarrassing himself like this? **No.**_

_**You’re scum for making this all about you.** _

Harley didn’t have the energy to shove the intrusive thoughts away anymore. They overwhelmed and consumed them, destroying every good thing they had so carefully built up over the past few weeks. They couldn’t control it; whenever they even attempted to counter the spiteful, malicious thoughts, another terrifying one took its place. 

_You’re nothing you’re nothing you’re nothing you’re nothing **you’re nothing-**_

“Harley, are you alright…?”

A small, quiet voice broke through the black fog inside their head. They cringed; anger and misery being joined by humiliation to be seen in this condition. They bit back a sob as they tried to roll over and away. 

“Do you need me to punch someone?” 

Harley almost laughed despite the state they were in. They felt the mattress dip slightly as Courtney sat down beside them. She tentatively reached out to rub Harley’s back. 

“It’s gonna be okay, Harl. Whatever’s happened, it’s gonna be okay.”

She sounded so sure, so confident. Harley only wished she knew what that felt like right now. Without really thinking, they rolled back over and sat up, wiping the snot from their face as they wrapped their arms around Courtney’s shoulders and buried their face in her neck. If she was surprised she didn’t show it, and she hugged her back fiercely and protectively. 

“I got you, honey, it’s okay,” she whispered, rocking them ever so slightly as they cried. Harley bit down on their lip, struggling to compose themself. Courtney hushed them gently, her hand coming up to the back of their head and massaging it gently. The tension ebbed away and they shuddered, clinging onto her like a lifeline.

“It’s all gonna be okay, I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW:  
> \- Mentions of abuse from the previous chapter  
> \- Outright mentions of rape & paedophilia  
> \- Deliberate use of deadname in order to upset character during an argument   
> \- Depressive intrusive thoughts
> 
> \- NO graphic details of said abuse


End file.
